


The truth between your lies

by UpInOrbit



Category: NCT (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Angst, Brief depiction of injuries, Childhood Friends to Strangers, Enemies to Lovers, Gangs, Its mainly seventeen tho, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Seventeen appears, Superpowers, Violence, cameos from other Idols - Freeform, inspired by the Turn Back Time MV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:14:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27406378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UpInOrbit/pseuds/UpInOrbit
Summary: With his gang rapidly rising to power, Hendery has many things to face, and very little time to waste. Around him, the pieces they've delicately set over time threaten to collapse and take them down in the process, so ghosts of the past are the last thing that cross his mind.However, that's exactly what he finds when he steps into one specific shop. It was supposed to have the solution to their problems, but instead he finds Xiaojun, posing as someone he isn't.Xiaojun has always been a liar, a manipulator if he's ever seen one, but he is their only shot at victory, so Hendery will have to find a way to work with him, lest he wants to end up dead.
Relationships: Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun
Comments: 9
Kudos: 44
Collections: NCT Bigbang Round 1





	The truth between your lies

**Author's Note:**

> First things first, a huge thank you to Shreya for holding this fest, it made me so happy to see something like that this existed! Thank you for all the hard work to make this possible, and a big thanks to [Hil](https://twitter.com/PEGCHANGMIN) too for all her hard work, it wouldn't have been the same without her ^^ She made a [really amazing piece for this fic, so go check it out"!!](https://twitter.com/PEGCHANGMIN/status/1333436465657864197?s=20)  
> Also, big thanks to Marta for putting up with me, you're the real mvp, ily  
> Regarding this fic, I know it's super long but I felt like it could work best as a oneshot so, here it is! I hope you'll enjoy it, and won't mind the amount of seventeen in it (I love them, and I need idols for reasons you're about to discover so... Here they are)  
> That said, I hope you'll enjoy this fic!

Standing in the middle of the street, half-hidden in the shadows, Hendery waited. The street was empty, no noises to be heard save for the soft sound of steps that approached him from the back, echoing on the cobblestones. 

Hendery stood there, quiet and still as a statue, as the owner of those steps walked up to him.

“Is this the place?” A soft, controlled voice asked from beside him. 

The words were said in a quiet tone, plain and unassuming, but there was something underneath them, steel undertones barely covered by the mellow way they had been said, that spoke of a force to be reckoned with.

Hendery smiled, a faint smile that was there and then gone, and he dipped his chin, nodding towards the wall in front of them.

“What do you think?”

The building they were standing in front of was nothing special, just a two-store red brick building, with a small shop tucked away in the first floor, its dark, dusty windows shadowing the inside. There was a sign hanging just above the shop’s front door, a wooden plank with an eye drawn on it, bright, twirly lines that attracted one’s attention to it, making it almost impossible to look away.

“They know how to make a statement, that’s for sure,” was the soft reply. “Shall we go in? Hendery?” Hendery blinked, somehow managing to tear his gaze away from the sign and look into Minghao’s concerned eyes. “Is anything wrong?”

Licking his lips, Hendery shook his head.

“I just have… A weird feeling.”

Minghao frowned, looking from the shop to Hendery and back to the shop.

“A feeling how? Should we abort the mission?”

“No,” Hendery replied after careful consideration. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s not bad, just… Weird. I don’t think there’s anything we have to worry about, it’s more like… The feeling you have when you’re trying to remember something that stays just out of reach.”

“Okay,” Minghao nodded slowly, once. “You follow my lead. If there’s anything weird, if you sense absolutely anything, just shout, understood?” Minghao stared at him from under his fringe, a sideways look with his face hidden in the shadows, his body turned towards the building, an aura around him that marked him as someone to be taken into account.

_LIKE THIS?_

Minghao grimaced, a hiss escaping his lips, and Hendery’s smile broadened.

“Just like that, you little shit,” Minghao replied, his annoyed tone enough to make Hendery laugh out loud.

He sobered quickly enough, though, as Minghao looked at him more sternly than before, and he pushed the door to the shop open. Walking silently behind him, Hendery followed in his steps, only to stop abruptly in awe as he took in his surroundings.

As dusty and unkempt as the shop’s front was, the inside was very much cared for: there were dark shelves covering every available wall, with books and different objects filling them to the brim. It wasn’t a big shop, and it was made smaller by the low, round tables that sat in the middle of it, dark-blue armchairs surrounding them, taking up most of the available space. The lighting was warm, giving the whole place a welcoming atmosphere.

Still, there was something that chilled Hendery to the bone, a prickling at the back of his neck that begged for him to be ready for anything, everything. It screamed at him to pay attention and, while it didn’t seem evil nor a bad omen, Hendery had long learnt to trust his gut.

Turning his back to Minghao, Hendery slipped away into one of the darkest corners of the room, the one that was further away from the shop’s counter. It was empty, just then, the shop apparently completely unmanned, but there was something in the air, something charged that spoke of power, and Hendery knew, without having to use his, that the shop wouldn’t stay empty for long.

It was only a couple of minutes after that that the sound of footsteps could be heard in the shop.

Without turning to look at him, Hendery felt Minghao approach the counter, leaving the book he had been leafing through back, where it belonged on the shelves.

The newcomer said something, their voice too low for Hendery to hear but still he froze, feeling a chill running down his spine, like someone was looking at him.

“Yes. We’ve heard of you, your reputation precedes you. It’s why we’re here, we’d be very interested in your help. You’d be paid accordingly, of course,” Minghao was saying then, his voice as cool and calm as ever.

“Of course,” replied another voice, accommodating. Hendery had forgotten how to breathe. “Tell me what you need, and I’ll see what I can do, it’ll be my pleasure.”

Hendery hadn’t moved at all during the conversation but, with every word that was said, there was a roar in his ears that grew in volume, and the ground beneath his feet threatened to open up and swallow him whole. A part of him thought he wouldn’t really mind it if it came to that.

_NO. IT CAN’T BE._

He felt, more than saw, Minghao shifting his weight on his feet, having heard him. He always did say Hendery thought too loud for his own good, but he didn’t care about it, not then.

The owner of the shop continued to talk, something like concern marring his voice, and Hendery could almost see the earnest expression on their face. It became too much for him. His legs moved on their own accord, bringing him closer to the front of the store.

A snort got caught up on his throat. It was an ugly sound, almost painful in the violent way it made him shake with the effort to keep it down.

It was enough for Minghao to turn around to look at him, a concerned look in his face. It was enough for the owner of the shop to turn his head to the side, eyes widening when they took in Hendery, standing in the middle of the shop like he belonged there, like he hadn’t been plucked straight from the past.

Hendery turned around on his heels, a single word making its way up his throat and past his lips, as easy as breathing, as painful as bleeding.

“Bullshit,” he snarled, and he watched as that word turned into a bullet, hitting Xiaojun right in his chest, making him stumble, all colour drained from his face.

He looked as Xiaojun reached behind him, fingers gripping the edge of the counter, a tightness around his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

Minghao opened his mouth to say something but, before he could even think of anything to say, Xiaojun moved, faster than the eye could track, not that Hendery needed to do that. Not when he knew the movement by heart, knew what to expect as Minghao’s eyes grew dull for a second after Xiaojun’s fleeting touch, before the light came back to his eyes and he went back to being his usual self, like nothing had happened.

Muttering to himself, Minghao shook his head and approached the shelves once more, picking up the book he had previously left behind, and resuming his reading. Hendery stared at his form, not even trying to stop him: he wasn’t there for him, after all. Xiaojun had taken care of that, slipping invisible fingers into his brain and tinkering with his perception, making sure Minghao didn’t even notice them, and leaving them both all but alone.

Xiajoun and Hendery. Hendery and Xiaojun. There were two living ghosts standing in the middle of Xiaojun’s shop, mirror images of the other, weariness etched on their faces.

It felt strange, to stand in front of Xiaojun after such a long time. Hendery hadn’t expected to see him then, if not ever, but there he was: Xiaojun was taller, his face sharper than before, and gone was the dark hair he used to keep neatly trimmed, instead replaced with overgrown blonde locks that brushed his eyes, even if they did nothing to take away from the quiet intensity those same eyes contained. 

They were different people, both of them, and a part of Hendery wondered what it was that Xiaojun saw when he looked at him, if he stared at Hendery’s face and saw the dark bags under his eyes, the tiredness and weariness that accompanied him like a shadow, never letting go, or if he just saw an enemy, someone who wouldn’t hesitate to bring him down.

He thought he saw fear in Xiaojun’s eyes, a whirlwind of memories that crossed his face as he stared down at an old friend, one whom he didn’t fully recognize anymore. He thought he saw it too, an echo of an old tenderness that resonated with him, mourning for the past they’d lost.

Still, despite everything, he was still Xiaojun, and that didn’t sit well with Hendery.

The silence held, cold enough to leave them suffering from frostbite burns, until Xiaojun inhaled sharply, the knuckles gripping the counter turning even whiter.

“What are you doing here?”

“Are you sure _you_ should be asking that?” Hendery replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest, raising an eyebrow. He could feel his lips twisting into a bitter smile, but he couldn’t avoid it.

It had been a long time since the last time Hendery had seen Xiaojun, so much that they were different people. He wasn’t sure what to make of the man standing before him.

"You're the one who stepped into my shop, unannounced," Xiaojun mimicked his pose, arms crossed in front of his chest, a frown marring his face.

"You're the one who has a reputation all over the city for being a fortune teller, you _should_ have seen me coming. Oh, wait, that's right, silly me," he continued, smacking his own forehead with his palm, smiling sweetly at Xiaojun, whose face darkened at that, "you'd have to be able to tell the future to do that."

Xiajoun pressed his lips into a thin line, curling his fingers into a fist as his hands dropped from the counter. Hendery could almost see the cogs turning in his head, as he frantically searched for something to say. He could also see the moment he came out empty-handed.

Not sparing Xiaojun a glance, Hendery walked up to where Minghao was standing, still oblivious to his surroundings. He extended his arm to grab him but, before he could that, Xiaojun seized Hendery's bicep, just as Minghao moved away, still reading his book.

"What are you doing?" Hendery hissed.

"You can't do that," Xiaojun replied, staring at Hendery with wide eyes. There was a slight tremor to his lips, one that was so faint it was barely there, but it didn't escape Hendery's attention. "You'll expose me, you can't do that."

"You can't stop me," Hendery freed his arm from Xiaojun's grasp, not even sparing him a glance.

He was about to reach for Minghao once again when he felt it, the telltale tingling in his fingertips that signalled an incoming vision. Hendery braced himself for it, as dark spots started dancing in front of him, and the image turned blurry, like he had his head underwater.

_Xiaojun opened his mouth, words spilling from his lips like silver, glittering under the warm light before they dissolved into the air, making it shimmer in their wake._

_"You came here, spoke with the owner. They couldn't help you, so you left. You don't think they are as good as they say they are, so you don't want to come back. Now leave."_

Hendery shuddered as he got rid of the remains of the vision, and he was left staring at Xiaojun, who was biting on his lower lip, a focused expression on his face.

"You came here, spoke with the owner. They couldn't help you, so you left. You don't think they are as good as they say they are, so you don't want to come back. Now leave."

He could feel them, the words trying to take root in his mind, warping his perception and taking control over his mind, but Hendery had always been a bad match for Xiaojun, whose silver tongue was almost infallible, unless you knew it was coming. Hendery's visions, which typically only allowed him to sense and see the most immediate future, protected him from Xiaojun's ability and so, Xiaojun's words fell and crumbled to dust, leaving him standing.

"You got stronger," Xiaojun said then, his face paling slightly. His grip on Hendery was almost painful, and Hendery pulled on his arm to free it, still feeling the phantom print of Xiaojun’s fingers on his upper arm.

"So did you," Hendery replied, and it was true. Back then, Xiaojun had sometimes been able to force Hendery to obey by overwhelming his senses. That was nothing compared to what Hendery just had experienced and, while Hendery had been able to withstand the assault, it had cost him more than he had expected to.

Xiaojun had always been stronger than Hendery, a 6 to his 4 on the scale, but sometimes, strength didn’t matter. It didn’t matter then, as it hadn’t mattered the first time they’d met each other. Xiaojun might be better, stronger than he’d been before, maybe a 7 or 8 if Hendery was reading him correctly, but it didn’t matter: Hendery’s ability might not be as strong, merely a 6 on the gradient (on his good days), but as long as he could know what Xiaojun was going to do, he was immune to his powers.

Hendery knew it, as did Xiaojun, whose face went through a myriad of expressions before finally settling on one, as he took a step towards Hendery.

"Please," Xiaojun pleaded, something like desperation in his voice. "Please don't say anything, I'm begging you."

Hendery could understand it, he really could. Xiaojun had built a small empire atop of a lie, a house of cards that had remained steady simply because Xiaojun had managed to avoid any gusts of air coming his way, but Hendery was a tornado, and there was simply no stopping him. One word from him, just a tiny word, and it would all fall down, exposing the lies that had once sustained it, leaving Xiaojun bare and in the open, exposed for all those who might come and see.

Hendery could understand it, he really could but, "you lost the right to ask me to do anything for you long ago."

Xiaojun's face fell at that, but Hendery knew he couldn't be too surprised, not from the moment he had seen him standing in the middle of his shop. It had been the only possible outcome.

Once, Hendery had looked at Xiaojun and felt flowers growing in his chest, blooming with every smile, every glance thrown in his direction, with every stolen touch, every little kiss.

But those flowers were dead, nothing but ashes in their wake, colours washed away into faded grey. The only thing that grew inside him were thorns, threatening to rip him apart, choking him from inside as he looked at Xiaojun.

No, there was only one way that was going to end.

Hendery walked up to Minghao, even as Xiaojun threw himself on top of Hendery, to prevent him from touching him. It was pointless, both of them knew, but if Hendery had ever admired Xiaojun for anything, it was for how relentless he was, and that didn’t seem to have changed.

It was pointless, though, for the only thing that could stop Hendery would be death, and there was only Xiaojun there to do so. (Would Xiaojun be able to kill him? Hendery didn’t think so but then again, that had been the old Xiaojun. That’s what unknowing a person does to you, and you no longer can pretend to know what they’ll do, the lengths to which they’ll go.)

Xiaojun managed to overpower Hendery, toppling them both over to the ground. Hendery groaned when his back made contact with the floor, his head bouncing against it with enough force to make his vision blurry. Above him, Xiaojun’s eyes shone with determination, and a twinge of something that looked like desperation as he tried to restrain Hendery against the ground.

(Restrain, not kill. Maybe some things hadn’t changed as much.)

Still, it was pointless, and a part of Hendery, the one that remembered the days in which he used to care about Xiaojun, felt sorry for him, and for what was about to happen.

_MINGHAO. THAT’S NOT REAL MINGHAO WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKE_

In an instant, the fight was over, as Xiaojun rolled over to ground, a muffled groan leaving his lips as he was kicked to the side. Hendery, once he was freed from Xiaojun’s added weight, breathed in deeply, and his vision cleared.

Above him, Minghao stood with his feet firmly planted on the ground, one hand extended towards Hendery, the other one holding a gun pointed at Xiaojun, who didn’t dare move.

Hendery accepted Minghao’s hand and used it to help himself to his feet again and stand beside him. Minghao’s arm was steady as he kept the gun aimed at Xiaojun, not at all bothered by the situation.

“Are you okay?” Minghao asked, his voice devoid of all hint of emotion. Hendery nodded. “Great. Tell me what happened.”

“He’s a liar.”

“Elaborate.”

“Name is Xiao Dejun and he’s not a sightseer. He has the ability to create illusions in other people’s minds, and get them to believe what he wants them to, even make them do what he wants them to do. I’m guessing people come here to ask them about stuff and he makes them believe they got an accurate prediction.”

“How?” The question was directed at Xiaojun, but the latter kept silent, a storm brewing in his eyes, and so Hendery continued.

“I don’t know, but the last time I saw him, he was trying to make ‘traps’ in other people’s minds, elaborate illusions that would kick in two parts. Say we came asking for something: he’d give us an answer, making us think we’re satisfied, and we’d leave. That would normally be it, but if something happened that contradicted the vision, the residual command that he’d plant in our brains would modify the previous illusion, and we’d still think what he said to us was accurate.”

“That seems like an awful lot of work,” Minghao pointed out, still directed at Xiaojun, who once again kept quiet.

Hendery glanced at Minghao, and found him staring hard at Xiaojun, the look in his eyes a clear indication he was deep in thought.

Many took a look at Minghao, and saw nothing but the guns and knives he carried strapped to himself, saw nothing but a thug who went around doing his bosses’ bidding. It took a little more time, a little more attention, to see the cunning mind behind those eyes, the brain that never stopped thinking, always coming up with something new. 

That was why he was the one who had come, after all.

Mingyu was strong, bulkier, with a power much more suited to defend himself and others should they be attacked, or ambushed, just like they’d thought could have happened when they went to see Xiaojun. He was the logical choice to force Xiaojun to do what they wanted, too, if it came down to that.

That, at least, was what one might think, but Minghao was as capable as Mingyu when it came to defending himself, and he had something many others didn’t have, the same ability that had allowed him to climb ranks as fast as he had.

Xiaojun, Hendery thought, could see it too, if the way his face was paling was any indication. The calculating glint in Minghao’s eye became even more obvious then.

“How long have you known him?”

Hendery pressed his lips into a thin line. 

Looking at Xiaojun was painful, more than it should be, more than he wished it were, but there was nothing he could do about it. 

Hendery looked at Xiaojun and saw the face of the teenager he had once met, a scared kid in a new place that he had tried to befriend. Hendery looked at Xiaojun and saw a liar, someone who had played with him until he had gotten what he had been looking for and left without looking back, without so much as an apology or even one last word.

Hendery looked at Xiaojun and he felt his heart breaking again, as thorns grew inside him, making his insides slowly feel with blood, threatening to bring him down for good.

For the first time, he was grateful for Minghao’s presence by his side, as he didn’t have to say any of those things out-loud, not when he felt as if he were on top of a mountain and wanted the whole world to hear him scream. 

Minghao’s only answer was a pained wince and a nod to himself.

“I see. Thank you for telling me,” he said, and Xiaojun blanched when he realized what had happened. Hendery could swear he saw the moment it dawned on him what Minghao’s ability could so, and his blood froze in his veins.

Hendery felt a little sorry for him. He himself had had that same reaction the first time he walked into Minghao’s presence. That was usually the effect he had on people, one he took great pleasure in.

“You probably won’t not believe me, Xiao Dejun, but today might be your lucky day,” Minghao said then, a gracious smile on his lips.

Hendery felt himself turn slightly apprehensive at the sight of that smile, and that apprehension only grew as Minghao reached to his side and freed one of the knives he had strapped on him at all times. He put the gun away, and twirled the knife between his fingers until it glinted, reflecting the light.

Xiaojun’s eyes widened as he took in the blade, and the ‘8’ engraved there. Minghao smirked.

“I take by that you know who I am, and who we work for,” he started, crouching down to look at Xiaojun in the eye. Xiaojun gulped, not even daring to move. “So I guess you know what will happen if you dare go against us.” Xiaojun nodded frantically, and Minghao did too, slowly. “Good. We don’t usually get involved with civilians but you did attack two members of Seventeen so that will make us grumpier, and you don’t want that, do you?” Not even waiting for Xiaojun to reply, Minghao continued. “I will be talking to our boss about you, and we will be coming back, so don’t you even think about running away from us. And I mean that, because I’d know right away if you did, got it?”

“Yes,” Xiaojun replied, his voice low.

Minghao nodded.

“Good. Now that that’s out of the way…” 

Dashing forward, Minghao extended the arm he was holding the knife with and directed it towards Xiaojun’s face. It was so fast Xiaojun could barely react, still frozen in the same position, and Hendery, who knew it was coming, didn’t even see Minghao move. The only evidence of it was Xiaojun’s face, and the thin gash he had underneath his eye. 

The tip of Minghao’s blade was then stained with blood, and Minghao smiled to himself, satisfied, as he carefully pocketed the knife away. Xiaojun followed the movement, unblinking.

“If you try to run away, we’ll find you,” Minghao said, his voice so soft it could almost be considered sweet, if not for the cold and calculating glint in his eyes. “We can’t lose you now,” he continued, a fleeting smile on his lips as he patted the pocket in which he had hidden away the knife.

As Minghao stood up, Hendery continued to look at him, a part of him feeling the same fear he saw reflected in Xiaojun’s expression. It was one that refused to leave him, no matter how much time he spent with Minghao or how close they became. Or, maybe, it was precisely because of that, because it allowed him a closer look at Minghao’s mind, and what he saw all but terrified him.

_“He does it for show, you know?” Soonyoung had told him one day, when they had just come back from an assignment._

_Hendery had looked at him, curious, and found Soonyoung staring directly at Minghao, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips._

_“My sense of smell is not that strong, but Minghao loves two things: being in control, and his knives, and this gives him both things, I guess. He treats those knives like they’re his children, and this gives him the chance to bring them out and use them, and if it helps the gang, it’s too big of an opportunity to miss.”_

_“Isn’t that bad for you, though?” Hendery had asked then, and Soonyoung looked at him with curiosity. “Isn’t he making you to be something that you aren’t, with abilities you don’t have? Wouldn’t that be bad for you in the long run?” He had regretted asking that as soon as the words left his lips, conscious of just how vicious Soounyoung could be when crossed, but the other just snorted._

_“As long as I find them, it doesn’t matter. And even if he was, what then? He’s never saying anything, he just implies things, and puts the fear of God, of_ me _, in them. What happens next is up to me and them. Even if they do manage to run away, then it gives him even more of a chance to use his knives so I guess it’s a win-win situation either way.”_

_“I see,” Hendery replied slowly, even if he wasn’t really sure he did._

_“I can’t say I understand him or that obsession he has with knives, because I doubt anyone does, but to each their own, I guess,” Soonyoung shrugged, bored._

_‘To each their own’, Hendery repeated to himself. Beside him, Soonyoung was silent, having gone back to sharpening his claws, yet another one of the tiger-like traits he possessed, together with the animal senses, and the faint trace of stripes that sometimes appeared over his skin when he was deeply immersed in a hunt._

_Hendery only sighed._

The amused look in Minghao’s eyes brought him back to Earth, and he felt his face heat up in embarrassment when he realized he must have heard at least part of his thoughts.

“We will be taking our leaves now, then. It’s been a pleasure making business with you. Expect our next visit soon.”

With that, Minghao turned around on his heels, and walked towards the door. After sending one last look in Xiaojun’s direction, Hendery followed in his steps.

“I guess you don’t mind how loud I think anymore, do you?” Hendery asked as they stepped out of the store. He sighed in relief as they did, feeling a weight he hadn’t noticed until then being lifted from his shoulders.

Minghao’s lips trembled, the faintest trace of amusement in his eyes.

“Don’t push your luck, newbie,” he replied as he pushed Hendery out of the way, making him laugh.

***

“I thought it was Soonyoung’s turn to be on feeding duty? Did he pull on his rank again?” 

Hendery looked up from where he was struggling to balance everything he was carrying and nodded in reply, rolling his eyes as he did so.

“It doesn’t matter how much time it’s passed, he’ll always consider me a rookie.”

Mingyu smiled, showing his pointy canines, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

"Damn, we're both missing on the fun then, aren't we?" 

"Not if I'm fast enough," Hendery shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes. He'd have to cut it soon again, if he didn't want it to turn into a hindrance. 

"Yeah, that's right, you did have a personal interest in the matter, didn't you?" Mingyu asked, leaning forward, eyes shining in interest. 

Hendery huffed. 

"Why do you keep asking questions you already know the answer to? I won't tell you anything you haven't already heard a thousand times this week," he replied, and laughed when Mingyu leaned back in disappointment, his curiosity still not satisfied. "And why aren't you attending the meeting? I thought it would be something that would interest you."

"It does interest me, but you know me. I'm not indispensable in this meeting, I'm just the muscle of the whole operation, so I guess they'll come tell me about it when it's done. But that isn't the important thing, don't think you can fool me so easily. What is it with you and that seer? Minghao says you get even louder than usual when you think about him," Hendery shot him an unimpressed glare and Mingyu chuckled to himself. “Okay, okay, I'll leave it. For now. Can't blame a man for being curious," Mingyu shrugged, a cheeky smile on his lips at Hendery's deadpan expression. 

Hendery rolled his eyes even as a small laugh left him. He knew he’d have to come clean at some point, but he appreciated Mingyu’s efforts to not make him feel too pressured.

"I can and I will, now open up so that I can feed them and get in time for the meeting."

"Aye aye, captain," Mingyu mock saluted him as he opened the door, pressing his hand against a well-concealed scanner. 

Hendery threw Mingyu a tight-lipped smile before breathing in deeply and steeling himself. 

The scanner ran its exam of Mingyu's palm and beeped happily when the scan proved to be satisfactory. A green light came from above them, momentarily bathing everything, before the door slowly opened. 

"You know the drill. Get in fast, get out faster, no conversation at all, no matter what they say," Mingyu recited, all previous mirth replaced by a serious expression. “You’re not carrying anything on you, are you? You remember the rules, no loose change, no belts, nothing, right?”

Hendery nodded, feeling his hands turning clammy. 

"I know, don't worry," he replied. “I don’t have a death wish.” 

Still, Mingyu inspected him from head to toe and only let him in when he was satisfied. 

The door closed behind him just as he set foot inside the corridor, the temperature in it a couple of degrees lower than outside, enough to send a chill down his spine. 

Taking a deep breath, Hendery let his head hang low between his shoulder blades and walked briskly down the corridor. 

His footsteps echoed as he walked, and his breath turned into small clouds that floated before his eyes. 

In front of him, the corridor stretched into the darkness, the small light bulbs hanging from the ceiling doing little do dispel the shadows around him. They buzzed and flickered, about to die out. It was probably Jeonghan’s touch, with his penchant for drama, but even knowing that didn’t help the chill that ran down his spine. 

Hendery stopped in front of the first set of doors, and carefully pushed it open. It lead him into a room, practically empty save for the man standing in the middle of it. He had longish, blonde hair, that was dirty and plastered against his skull. His eyes were sharp, and cold, and if looks could kill, then Hendery would definitely be dead where he was standing. 

Between them, from ground to ceiling, there were two sets of transparent walls, each one as thick as Hendery's hand, and with a twenty centimetre separation between them. 

Hendery put the tray he was carrying on the ground, and walked to the right end of the room, where the control panel was. It was little more than a metallic table, its flat surface covered in buttons and switches. Most of them were locked, unable to be used unless the necessary key was used beforehand, an electronic key that Seungcheol kept locked in his own personal office, Jeonghan and Joshua the only two other people who had been let in the secret that was its specific location.

Most of those buttons and switches weren’t used unless in case of emergency, however, so Hendery ignored them all and went straight for one specific button, located on the lower right corner of the table. After pressing it, a small section of the transparent wall disappeared, rising up with a hiss. He walked towards it, grabbed one of the dishes he was carrying, and pushed it to the space between the two walls. 

The man followed his each and every move, like he did every time Hendery set foot inside the room. 

Ignoring his scrutiny, Hendery walked back to the panel on the right side of the room and pushed the same button he had pressed before. The trap door closed again, and a second one opened on the other wall when Hendery pressed another button. 

The man reached into it and took the plate for himself, cradling it to his chest. The trap door remained open, and Hendery moved to pick up the tray. His steps were silent, every sound swallowed by the soundproof walls around them.

As he walked, the man stood and followed his moves, speaking as he walked. He seemed to be shouting, his face turning red with every word that left his lips, but Hendery didn't hear any single one of them. 

It was kind of the point, after all. What is a siren without their voice, if not nothing? 

He sent him a pitying look as he opened the door and left the room. The last thing he saw was the man throwing something at him, the contents of it spilling all over the wall when it crashed against it. 

Hendery didn't give him not even one parting thought, instead walking to the next room.

It was fairly similar to the one that he had just exited. Like the previous one, there was only one person inside, the room devoid of anything superfluous, two sets of glass panels dividing it into two separate sections. Unlike the other one, however, the other half of the room, the one that was occupied by the prisoner, was covered in chains.

In the middle of the room, strapped to a chair, sat a man. He had fine features, beautiful eyes and slightly pointed ears, almost elfish, but that was all that could be seen of him. The rest of his body was covered in chains, thick, black links wrapped around his wrists and arms, around his body and down his legs, ensuring he couldn’t move at all.

While the first man had been wide awake, razor-sharp eyes following every one of Hendery’s moves, the one he was standing in front of right then could barely keep his eyes open, a dopey haze muddying them. He didn’t even appear to have realized he was no longer alone.

Walking around in silence, Hendery repeated the same sequence he had performed earlier, and left the food on the other side of the glass barrier. He moved faster than he had before, his steps echoing in the room as he tried to breathe as lightly as possible, feeling the sickly-sweet smell hanging in the air sticking to his clothes. 

Despite all the noise he was making, the man didn’t notice he was there, and Hendery closed the door behind him without being acknowledged by the other.

“Two down, two to go. You can do it,” Hendery muttered to himself before pushing the third door open.

It opened with a creak that sent a shudder down Hendery’s spine, not contributing in the slightest to easing his nerves. He tried to suppress his nervousness, but the truth was that stepping into that cell was always the hardest for him.

It shouldn’t be. 

At first sight, it was a cell just like the others. The same glass panel down the middle, the same lone prisoner standing in the other side. There was nothing that much different from the other two, but it still made Hendery feel jumpy, on edge.

It was probably due to who was standing there, what he had that set him aside from the rest.

It was probably because he was Lucas, while the others were faceless, nameless, easy to tuck away in a dusty corner of his mind, relegated to the darkness, never to bother him again.

Lucas had always been larger than life, drawing all eyes to him whenever he was on sight. He was bright, larger than life, a light so blinding you could almost forget he was nothing but just another soldier, a puppet in the hands of a very capable puppeteer.

That didn’t matter when you laid eyes on him, however, and Hendery had always been a little starstruck when it came to him, more than he wanted to admit, even to himself.

Lucas paced around the room, eyes fixated on the open ceiling above him. Nothing other than a taunt, a mockery in the form of the freedom he craved so much, just within reach if he could jump and fly towards it.

Hendery had seen him flying, once. His wings had been coloured in the hues of the night sky, almost invisible against the dark velvet of it, only the sheer darkness of them, completely void of stars, giving him away.

Tall, strong, proud. 

An angel.

Or he had been, before they had clipped his wings, leaving only useless lumps of flesh behind, the only trace of the wings that had once had him soaring through the skies, wounds that never truly healed because they wouldn’t allow them to, not when it’d give Lucas his wings back. Without them, there was only fire in his eyes, a twinge of madness buried in them, in the way he licked over his split lips, blood-stained teeth in display as he smiled, unhinged.

Hendery almost felt bad for him.

“Come here, pretty boy. Don’t be afraid,” Lucas crooned when he noticed Hendery approaching, his tongue dashing forward to lick over his lips. His hands balled into fists, muscles bulging.

Hendery let the plate on the other side just barely within reach, standing up and taking a step back when Lucas lunged towards him, hands clawing at the glass. Turning away, he walked towards the exit closed the door behind him, the echoes of Lucas’ fury ringing in his ears. 

He almost felt bad for him.

He’d have to get over it, somehow. It was bad enough that Minghao had detected the uneasiness in him the first time that he had taken him there, he didn’t need past memories invading his thoughts every time he was on feeding duty.

Shaking his head to get rid of those images, Hendery walked to the last door, and gritted his teeth as he opened it.

That last room _was_ different from the others. Its walls were padded, a necessary precaution they had taken in the first few days, back when a mistake almost cost them deeply. It wasn’t unusual for the padding to appear torn in places, sometimes even ripped off almost completely, but it seemed to be a good day, or at least a peaceful one, for the walls were intact, the man held inside the cell sitting with his back against the wall, blueish hair falling onto his eyes.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” Hendery jumped when he heard the words, not expecting the other man to speak to him. Wearily, he looked over his shoulder to find the prisoner staring at him, a light smile playing on his lips. “I didn’t think it was your turn today. Anything interesting going on today? Any new gangs to bring down and imprison that I should know of, Hendery?” At the sound of his name, Hendery stiffened, his breath hitching before he could control himself. The man chuckled, “oh, don’t be so surprised. I remember The8 calling you that on your first day. It’s due time we had a chat, don’t you think?” The smile on the other’s lips grew bigger, more dangerous, and Hendery forced himself to remain calm, breaths steady.

His eyes fixed on the glass panel between them, Hendery walked towards it, not sparing a glance in the other’s direction, not even allowing himself to think about him. It seemed like that amused the man to no end.

“Come on, I’ve been here for what, a month now? It’s so hard to keep track of time when you’re locked up like this, the least you could do is to give me a little conversation, don’t you think? Considering you won’t tell me what you’re planning on doing with us,” steely eyes, a deadly look on them, that never left Hendery’s face, sending a chill down his spine.

Still, Hendery knelt calmly by the glass wall, pushed the plate between the two panels, and stood up. The other trap door rose with a hiss, but the man made no movement to fetch the food. His eyes were still on Hendery, following his every move. 

“We will get back at you for this,” he said then, eyes turned to one of the corners of the room, staring directly at one of the hidden cameras. His voice was soft, almost vacant of emotion, like he didn’t have a care in the world.

It just made them all the more terrifying.

It served as a reminder of who Hendery was standing in front of. Kun, the man who had lead WayV to the top, instilling fear in everyone’s hearts with everything they did, until they had been forcefully brought down not even a month ago.

Kun, the man who had almost broken free that first day, when they had been naive enough to think a regular cell would hold him. It had ended up with a badly hurt Mingyu, lying on a pool of his own blood, his ribs broken by the force with which Kun had thrown him against the wall. He had almost broken free, only stopped by the sheer luck that had brought Jihoon to the cells before it was too late, before Kun broke free from Jeonghan’s charm and snapped him in half. 

Jihoon had managed to put the other to sleep, but it had cost them more than they were willing to risk again. For the days, the sigh of Mingyu and Jeonghan’s bruised faces were nothing but the bitter remain of their mistakes.

The next time Kun woke, he was in a reinforced cell, padded walls and all, and no one was allowed to walk in wearing anything that could potentially be used as a weapon by the other’s telekinesis. The doors had been modified, so that, should Kun attempt to repeat what he had done to Mingyu, and throw one of them against the wall, they would close automatically, and he’d be left to rot.

They had made sure Kun had gotten the message. The look in his eyes had promised hell, and Hendery had found himself praying he’d never get out.

“We will see each other again, soon,” Kun’s words reached Hendery as the door closed shut behind him. Even if they were his usual parting words, he still felt cold spreading through his veins.

Hendery all but sprinted down the hallway after that, only stopping when he reached the outer door.

“That bad, huh?” Mingyu grimaced at him in sympathy when he opened the door and took a look at his face.

“You have no idea,” Hendery replied, raking his hands through his hair.

“I don’t envy you. Those four there are some creepy motherfuckers, I just hope we’ll get rid of them soon.”

“Tell me about it,” Hendery whispered as he straightened his shoulders, trying to shake off the lingering uneasiness that still clung to him.

Mingyu tipped his chin in the opposite direction.

“Come on now. If you hurry, you should still catch the whole meeting, I don’t think they’ve started yet.”

“Thanks man, I’ll come back and tell you what happens,” he shouted over his shoulder as he sprinted towards the room the meeting was taking place in.

Just as Mingyu had said, when Hendery pushed open the door to the meeting room, said meeting had yet to start. It looked like he was the last to arrive, which wasn’t surprising, and the room was full, with barely any space left for him to sit, even if it was just half the gang there, the rest of them scattered around their territory to make sure things ran smoothly. 

Manoeuvring carefully so as to not step on anyone, Hendery ended up sandwiched between Minghao and Jeonghan.

“New hair?” He asked Jeonghan as he sat down.

The other man ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly, and gave him a coy smile.

“It looks good on me, don’t you think?” Jeonghan asked back.

Hendery smiled to himself. Jeonghan’s hair was his pride and joy, and he made a conscious effort to make it look at best as it possibly could, but dyeing it was a weakness of him and it wasn’t strange of him to show up with a new colour every month or so. He had gone for a platinum blonde, that time. It looked good on him, but Hendery was sure he had gone for that colour to ensure the maximum impact when he used his power. It was good for the _aesthetic_ , he had heard Jeonghan say once, and Jeonghan was nothing if not invested in his aesthetic.

Beside him, Minghao snorted quietly to himself, and Jeonghan shot him a dirty look, like he knew what had caused that.

Before he could say anything in reply, however, Seungcheol stood up and clapped. It was all he needed to get everyone’s attention, and make the room fall silent.

“I’m going to go straight to the point,” Seungcheol started, his face grim, lips set in a firm line. “Like you all know, last month we managed to bring down WayV, or at least the most important part of them. And like I told you back then, it was really important we caught Kun, and then we could focus on the loose ends, but that hasn’t been as easy as I hoped,” Seungcheol pinched his nose with a tired sigh, and Joshua patted his shoulder in sympathy. “Kun is smart, we knew that, but what he has done exceeded my expectations,” seeing as confusion started to show on the other’s faces, Seungcheol made a vague gesture in Minghao’s direction. “Minghao, if you don’t mind…?”

Minghao stood up, straightening his red leather jacket as he did so.

“Seungcheol asked me to break into their minds, you know, all pretty standard stuff to learn about the gang and their operations and stuff,” they all nodded. “As far as we knew, WayV didn’t have a telepath among them, never has, and most of them have powers that are more on the physical side. The only notable exception is Kun, which is weird but whatever—”

“WayV _are_ weird,” someone, probably Jun, muttered to Hendery’s left, causing him to smile to himself. 

Meanwhile, Minghao continued speaking, shooting daggers in Jun’s direction.

“So I expected more resistance from him when I went into his mind, because people with mental abilities tend to have a natural resistance against those like me, but that was not what happened. At least, not exactly,” Minghao took a deep breath, shaking his head. “All their minds are blank,” around him, they all leaned forward slightly, eyes fixed on Minghao. 

“What do you mean ‘blank’?” Joshua asked.

“I mean someone wiped out all their knowledge about the gang. They retain most of their memories, and they know each other, but there’s nothing else in their minds other than what we already know,” Minghao replied through gritted teeth. 

As their only telepath, and one that was high on the gradient, Minghao was their go-to option when they needed to extract information from someone. Not only could he hear someone’s thoughts, he could also forcibly penetrate their minds, an ability he had painstakingly cultivated over the years, honing it until it became a powerful weapon. To find his victim’s minds blank was a new occurrence, one that Hendery knew Minghao didn’t like at all. 

“Is that even possible?” Hendery asked when it became obvious the rest were too stunned to do so.

“Apparently, it is,” Minghao raked his fingers through his hair, painfully tugging at some strands. “Winwin, Lucas, Ten, they all still know each other but if I try to dig any deeper than that, it’s like WayV is just them. And we know it’s _not_ just them. It’d be impossible to pull off the shit they’ve done with just a four-member team. Besides, it’s as if they only know the most basic of shit and, as much as Kun might be the mastermind behind their plans, we know he heavily relies on them, so it makes no sense that they know so little.”

“What about Kun?” Soonyoung asked.

“Kun is unbreakable,” Minghao all but spat out. “I can’t fucking access his mind.”

Minghao’s words echoed in the room like he had shouted at the top of his lungs. The rest of them froze, taken aback by Minghao’s sudden outburst. 

Minghao let out a tired breath, and turned around, his head hanging low.

Silently, Jun stood up and walked up to Minghao. Minghao stiffened as Jun wrapped an arm around his shoulders, but slowly melted into him as Jun whispered something to him.

“There’s someone protecting him, giving him some kind of shield or something that I can’t access. It changes every time I try to attack it, adapting to whatever I throw at them,” Minghao said then, voice steady and controlled once again. “My bet? It’s the same person that wiped Winwin, Ten and Lucas’ minds, so there’s at least one other person that we don’t know of who is important enough to know all of what _they_ know, or knew, and who is powerful enough to maintain their hold on Kun’s mind even from afar. And, knowing WayV, and knowing Kun, I’d bet they still have something up their sleeves that we don’t know of so…”

“We’re fucked,” Soonyoun stated, arms crossed in front of his chest.

“We’re fucked,” Minghao agreed.

After giving Jun a tired smile and squeezing his arm lightly, Minghao slipped back into his seat, Jun following closely behind.

“This is why I’ve called you in,” Seungcheol said, taking back his place in the middle of the room, commanding all eyes to him. “We need to decide our next move, and we need to do it fast, if we want to strengthen our hold now that there’s a void with WayV gone. I don’t think I have to explain just how important it is we get the rest of them as soon as possible,” Seungcheol said, scanning the faces around him. They all nodded, expressions equally dark.

Seventeen had managed to keep four of the core WayV members imprisoned, but they had all known right from the beginning it was nothing if not a temporary solution.

The leader. The siren. The angel. The hitman. 

All of them locked in cells, suppressed by the gang’s powers. Even then, Hendery knew they all were a little wary when they walked by the door that would lead them to the cells, that they all were sleeping with an eye on their doors, a knife hidden beneath their pillows, fearing the day one of them figured a way to escape.

Kun had always been dangerous. With a mind as powerful as his, and powers that were probably around a 10 on the scale, and maybe even more, he’d always been a force to be reckoned with, but it would be a mistake to assume he was all the threat WayV posed. 

WayV had been a powerful gang. That it had been brought down so easily had been the result of careful planning, drawn out for months, and a smart ambush, and if even then, if despite all their efforts, they hadn’t managed to capture all of them… If the rest of the gang managed to regroup and come up with a plan to free the four others… 

Hendery didn’t want to dwell on it, and he was sure none of the others wanted to.

“What is your plan?” Jeonghan asked.

“I don’t think we have many options,” Seungcheol admitted, quietly. “Considering the state the other three are in, our best option would be to get Kun to break down and extract the information from him but _doing_ so is the problem.”

“If the other three have nothing to add, then they’re dispensable,” Soonyoung said. He was absentmindedly playing with one of Minghao’s knives, his movements lazy, but the look in his eyes said he was focused, mind running a thousand scenarios at the same time. “Why don’t we kill them? It might help us break Kun.”

“That’s not an option,” Hendery and Jeonghan replied at the same time. Soonyoung arched his eyebrows, mildly amused, and Hendery and Jeonghan exchanged a brief look. “That’s not really an option,” Hendery repeated softly after a brief pause.

“Why not?” Soonyoung asked.

“Didn’t you hear what I said before, you dumbass?” Minghao replied in his stead before Hendery could even open his mouth. “Someone is messing with their brains. Considering what they’re doing to Kun, I’d say there’s a pretty good option they’re maintaining a connection with all four of them. If we kill them and sever that connection, not only do we risk making them move, they could also tell Kun and maybe even wipe _his_ mind. Mental abilities are tricky,” he continued, shaking his head. “You never know what someone has planted in your head until it’s too late, and there’s too much at risk right now for us to wing it. Which is also why I can’t forcefully break whatever it is that’s protecting Kun, because we don’t know what lies behind it, and we risk triggering some mechanism that will wipe _his_ mind too, which is something we really don’t want to do.”

“You might be right, but you’re talking an awful lot about _maybe_ and _if_ ,” Soonyoung noted, pointing the knife at Minghao. “And those are some very drastic measures too.”

“Kun was already famous when I was a kid,” it was Hendery who beat Minghao that time, thus attracting all eyes to him. “WayV wasn’t as big then as they are now, but they are the only gangfrom back then that is still standing, even after all this time, and everyone knows it’s because of Kun, because he’s not only ruthless, but also smart, and he doesn’t mind sacrificing his pawns if it’ll let him win the game. He also doesn’t like sharing. Considering who he is, Kun must have known there was a target on his back, and on the rest of his crew’s. If he devised a plan such as this one, it means he was ready, and that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect his empire, maybe even blow it all up, just so that _we_ don’t get it. It’s his empire,” he repeated, looking at all of them in the eye. “If he doesn’t have it, then no one has it.”

“He’s right,” Seungcheol said then. “Do I need to remind you what happened when Seungwoo died? He wasn’t even a target, he was collateral damage and yet Kun tore the Vixx guys apart. They were there and then gone, and it wasn’t even on purpose,” he continued, like any of them needed a reminder of what had happened back then. It had been hard to forget, a message every gang member had taken to heart. Kun had then fortified his empire even further, and they had become untouchable. “We can’t risk harming the others until we’ve secured our grip on WayV’s dealings, until we know they can’t retaliate. They have to be _Seventeen’s_ , not WayV’s, before we do anything drastic. But we might have to risk something for us to manage that.”

“What do you have in mind, Seungcheol?” Joshua asked.

Seungcheol rolled his shoulders.

“As you all know already, because this is the reason I called this meeting, I sent Minghao and Hendery on a mission two nights ago. They were to do some recon around a shop. The owner, Xiaojun, was said to be a powerful clairvoyant, the best in the city, famous for his specific predictions, and I thought we could use him to locate the whereabouts of the rest of Kun’s people. We have most of their stuff, after all. Something there most have belonged to one of them, and the clairvoyant could use it as a link to them and tell us where they were. The problem is Hendery knew the guy, and he knows he’s a scam.”

“Xiaojun can’t see the future, he never has been able to. He’s powerful, but that is not where his abilities lie.”

“And what is it that he can do?” Jeonghan asked, exchanging a brief look with Joshua. “Because your plan involves him, doesn’t it, Seungcheol?”

“This Xiaojun guy can make illusions, force people to believe what he creates. We could use him to trick Kun into believing he’s safe and get him to reveal the names of the rest of the members,” Seungcheol said, rubbing his chin. “If we can’t break the shield maybe we can trick Kun into believing he doesn’t need it. It would be a difficult thing to do, but I think it’s doable.”

The room fell silent, mulling over the words.

“We’d have to give a kid direct access to him,” Jeonghan replied slowly. “It’s too big a risk, Seungcheol.”

“I know. That’s the problem.”

Hendery closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. 

If only he could use his powers as Seungcheol had hoped to use Xiaojun’s, then they wouldn’t be in such a mess. But for all he could do, Hendery’s predictions were limited to the near future. He could see the future with better clarity than most, had them so regularly it was almost instinctive, a trait he knew many envied, but he was unable to see something that would happen the next week, much less any further than that.

“Don’t beat yourself up, Hendery,” Minghao whispered then. Jeonghan glanced at them, curious, but Minghao paid him no mind. “It’s no use, and anyway, we wouldn’t want you any other way.”

“Thank you,” Hendery whispered in reply, a lump in his throat making it hard for him to breathe.

“Do you think your friend can do it, Hendery?” Soonyoung asked then, and all eyes turned to Hendery. 

He frowned, expression turning sour.

“He is not my friend,” he replied, talking slowly and enunciating clearly his words. Soonyoung waved with his hand, like it was an unimportant detail, and Hendery scoffed to himself, but didn’t push the matter further. “I am not sure. Xiaojun was talented, even as a kid, and I’m sure his powers have grown since then, but I don’t know if he can pull something like this,” he paused, hesitant.

Seungcheol, sensing it, tipped his chin in his direction.

“Continue with what you were about to say,” he instructed, and Hendery nodded.

“Talent-wise, I think Xiaojun is one of the most capable people I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if he’s ever attempted to do something like this, but when we were in school everyone knew he was crazy talented, and considering the scam he’s managed to pull off, I’d say he can do something like what you’re thinking of, even if it’d take him some time. He’s sneaky, smart and ruthless. If there’s anyone who can pull it off, it’s him,” Hendery closed his hands into fists, blunt nails digging into his palms, fingertips itching as he did so, “but I don’t think he’s the most reliable person out there.”

“Why no?” Seungcheol crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Xiaojun was considered a ‘free spirit’ when we were young. He did what he wanted to do, and gave no explanations. He was always using his powers to manipulate people and get what he wanted, and it was hard to know what that was unless he told you so—”

“But you’re immune to him,” Seungcheol cut him short, and Hendery sputtered, not expecting it, “you are, aren’t you?”

“I mean, yeah, kinda?” Hendery replied, squinting as he tried to follow Seungcheol’s train of thought. “It’s hard to trick someone into doing what you want them to do when they already know what you are going to do. I wouldn’t say I’m immune to his powers, really, but I do think I’m a bad matchup for him, in a way.”

Seungcheol nodded, slowly, before smiling. It was a perfectly normal smile, friendly and cheerful, even, but for some reason, it sent a chill down Hendery’s spine. 

Beside him, Minghao chuckled to himself, sounding clearly amused.

“I think we have our solution now, don’t you think?” Seungcheol asked as he clapped, once, before turning around and looking at the seven men in the room.

“I don’t need to see the future to know I’ll hate what is about to come from your mouth,” Hendery whispered to himself, sending both Minghao and Jeonghan into twin fits of laughter. 

Seungcheol merely smiled wider.

“We don’t need to worry about Xiaojun doing us dirty while he’s helping us, if you are keeping an eye on him,” Seungcheol replied, expression beatific, even as Hendery opened his mouth in horror.

“What are you talking about??”

“You said it yourself, you’re a bad match for Xiaojun, so we just need to pair you two up, and, voilá! Problem solved! You’ll just have to babysit him during the time he’s here, and then you’ll be free again!”

“What!? No way! And what happens after that, when we’re done!? How can you know he won’t betray us afterwards?”

“We’ll deal with him when the time comes, don’t you worry about it. For now, tell us what you know about him, anything that can help us deal with him.”

Hendery huffed, running a hand through his hair as he thought.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, guys. I’ve already told most of what I remember.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jeonghan replied. “We’ll conduct an investigation on him before we bring him here. We just want to know what you think.”

“Well, let’s see… He was a smart kid, and he always managed to get what he wanted, whether it was by using his powers or just talking others into doing his bidding. He was pretty reserved, never let anyone close to him.”

“Except you,” Minghao pointed out, leaning back in his chair. Hendery twisted his lips into a smile.

“Except me. It might have been because he couldn’t manipulate me, though. I don’t think Xiaojun cared much about anyone. We knew each other for a short period of time when we were fifteen, it couldn’t have been longer than three months.”

“Why is that? I thought you two were classmates,” asked Joshua.

“We were, for like…, three months?” Hendery explained, causing even more puzzled looks. “Xiaojun left halfway through the school year without saying a word. It was like he never even existed.”

“Why did he do that? Didn’t you study in one of the best schools for powered children in the entire country? Why would he leave after three months? It’s hard as fuck to get into one.”

“Who knows why he ever does anything,” Hendery replied to Minghao, bitterness filtering into his tone. “I think he wanted something from the school and, after he got it, he left. What he wanted, I can only wonder. He did talk a couple of times about his brother, and he seemed to be in trouble back then, from what Xiaojun let slip out once on the rare occasions we talked about family. He did love him a lot, so maybe it was related to him. He was the only person I think Xiaojun really cared about, so I wouldn’t be surprised, but I don’t know. I can only guess, and it’s been a very long time.”

Seungcheol nodded, pacing slowly around the room.

“We’ll look into him,” he said, after a brief pause. “Joshua, ask Vernon and Seungkwan to dig into his past and family, anything they can find,” Joshua nodded. “They should be done with their current assignment soon but tell them they should give this one priority above all others.”

“Should we call in the rest of the gang?” Jeonghan asked, leaning back on his chair. Seungcheol shook his head.

“Not right now. I think we should be able to hand whatever this guy might have up his sleeve. If things get more heated, or if the rest of WayV start showing their faces around, then we’ll call in the backup. Tell Chan and Minho to be on the lookout, though. That’s everything, I think,” Seungcheol clapped loudly, his usual way to end up the meetings. “Someone go fill in Mingyu on what he’s missed.”

“I’ll do it,” Minghao spoke as he stood up, promptly leaving the room, before Seungcheol had even stopped talking. 

Hendery looked at him as he walked away, a small, teasing smile on his lips, and Minghao flipped him over his shoulder, undoubtedly having heard what he’d thought.

“Someone needs to pick up the dirty dishes from our esteemed guests and I believe it’s your turn, Soonyoung, don’t think I don’t see you trying to weasel out of your duties: it was your turn today and not Hendery’s. I think you know what to do now,” Hendery smiled to himself as a dejected Soonyoung left the room, his bottom lip jutting out. “Hendery, you come with me, we need to figure out the details of what you’re going to do. Josh, Jeonghan, come with us too please.”

And with those words, the plan was set in motion.

***

The plan was off to a rocky start.

“Could you please stop?” Xiaojun grumbled from where he was seated on the floor.

Hendery glared at him in reply.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t even say anything!”

“I can feel you staring, it’s getting annoying,” Xiaojun said without looking back.

“Well, better get used to this. It can only get worse from here,” he sighed, leaning his head against the wall.

For a moment, it seemed like Xiaojun would leave it at that, but then he muttered something to himself and stood up. After dusting his trousers, he prowled in Hendery’s direction, lips pressed in a thin line.

“Look, you don’t like this, your group doesn’t like this, and, fuck’s sake, _I_ don’t like this, but this is going to go on for a while, and we better get along until we don’t have to see each other anymore. I can’t work if you’re drilling holes into my nape, it disturbs my concentration. The more it’s disturbed, the longer it’ll take for me to do what you want, and the longer we’ll have to see each other,” he finished, rubbing his eyes in a tired gesture.

Hendery shifted his weight on his feet, and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew Xiaojun was right, but it wasn’t any easier.

His was a useful power, but not immediate. Like a storyteller spinning their tales, Xiaojun needed time to make others see what he wanted them to see. He needed to stretch his power, get a tendril of it in the other’s head and then, make them believe. It was easier once he had already gotten in their heads once before, like a website that remembers your login for the next time. Still, the more complex the illusion, the more difficult it was, and the longer it would take to be crafted.

“I know that, but I’m here to watch over you. What do you expect me to do if not breathe down your neck?” He replied instead.

“You think I don’t know? They made that pretty clear. Quite a number of times. But if I can’t contact him in any way, then it will take me twice as long…,” he let the words hang between them, expression clearly expecting something.

“They don’t trust you, Dejun, and never will, not with this,” Hendery’s shoulders sagged as he spoke, tiredness bleeding into his voice, and Xiaojun took a step back. 

“Are they willing to wait _that_ long?” Xiaojun asked, disbelief obvious in the slight widening of his eyes. “I’m not kidding when I say this takes time, whenever my clients come in, it takes me at least a couple of hours, and that’s _with_ direct contact and conversation. This will take much longer.”

“I think they’re willing to wait for as long as they have to,” Hendery replied, not bothering to lie. It was pointless after all. If Xiaojun was going to spend as much time with them as it seemed he was, he would see it for himself. “And even if they weren’t, Kun is dangerous. You won’t be allowed inside for your own safety as much as ours. If he breaks free from your command before we’re ready… This is a dangerous game we’re playing, Xiaojun,” he said as he looked up, his voice extremely serious. “One mistake, and we’ll end up dead,” Xiaojun nodded, never taking his eyes of Hendery.

“I know.”

“I really hope you do.”

“Trust me, Hendery, I know,” he repeated, a little harsher than before. “So, I guess we’re doing this the hard way,” he murmured, raking his fingers through his hair.

“I guess we are. I’m sorry,” he said, completely honest. “Can you continue or should we call it a day?”

Xiaojun threw his head back, musing over his words, deep in thought. As he waited, Hendery took a close look at him, noting the deep, dark circles under his eyes, and the way his cheeks seemed to stand out even more against his skin, like the latter was paper-thin.

“I think I can continue,” Xiaojun said then, causing Hendery to snort quietly to himself.

“No, you can’t,” he contradicted him, and Xiaojun frowned. “You can barely stand as it is, Dejun. There’s no point in you pushing yourself if you’re going to collapse. Let’s go.”

Gently nudging him towards the exit, Hendery gave one last parting glance in Kun’s direction. The man hadn’t moved, hadn’t so much as stirred since Xiaojun had started working with him. There had only been a slight reaction at first, a spark of surprise and interest, as well as confusion, in his eyes when he saw him walk in, before Xiaojun began to use his powers and it all went away.

Keeping an eye on Xiaojun, fearing he’d fall to the ground all of a sudden, he guided him to the outer door.

After a few moments, it opened and they came face to face to Soonyoung. Beside him, Xiaojun flinched when Soonyoung’s cold eyes passed over him.

“We’re done now, Hoshi.”

Soonyoung nodded, barely a dip of his chin, and he stepped aside to let them leave, the door closing firmly behind them.

“Wait here,” he instructed Xiaojun, who let out an exasperated sigh as he rubbed his eyes, face contorted in a slight grimace. Ignoring Xiaojun, Soonyoung got a long piece of fabric from a room to their left, and came back shortly with it clutched between his fingers. Coming to stand behind Xiaojun, he used it to cover his eyes, knotting it in a way that had to be almost painful, if the way Xiaojun was biting his lower lip was anything to go by. “Don’t move,” he ordered Xiaojun, as the latter stumbles backwards, the back of his head bumping against Soonyoung’s fingers. “Boss is waiting for you after you drop this one off, Hendery,” Soonyoung said in Hendery’s direction, the gentler tone he used to speak to Hendery at odds with the way he behaved with Xiaojun.

Hendery nodded in reply, and came to stand by Xiaojun’s side as Soonyoung slipped back, returning to his former position by the door. 

In the week or so since Xiaojun had started coming, it had become a habit for Seungcheol to call him into his office to discuss their progress, and, if for some reason he couldn’t be there, either Joshua or Jeonghan would take his place. Not that there was much to say, and Hendery didn’t really see the point in those meetings, but it was obvious Seungcheol was beginning to feel exhausted, dark shadows under his eyes, as the gang continued to be stretched thin all over the territory.

Taking over another gang’s territory was proving to be as taxing as they’d feared, and with the problems that were slowly starting to surface, it could only get worse. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and so Hendery wouldn’t be the one to tell his very on edge, very dangerous boss, to stop asking for daily reports that were only a waste of both their times.

“I’ll be there in like, forty minutes,” he said to no one in particular, knowing that, somehow, it’d reach Seungcheol. It always did. It was hard to keep anything secret from Seventeen, for they always had a way of knowing.

Not expecting a reply from Soonyoung, Hendery grabbed Xiaojun by the elbow and guided him away from the door and towards the exit.

It was unlikely that Xiaojun would be able to do anything against them even if he saw the path, but it was better safe than sorry. The warehouse was a massive one, and it had become practically a labyrinth after Wonwoo was done with it. He had spent hours pouring over the plans, coming up with every little detail and room, making sure it’d provide for all their needs, and it’d be hard for any strangers to use it against them. Still, it was better not to take any unnecessary risks. The background check on Xiaojun had come empty, no obvious affiliations to any other gangs they should be wary of, but that meant little, and that was something Hendery never allowed himself to forget.

None of them spoke as Hendery walked Xiaojun through the warehouse, taking unnecessary turns meant to disorient him so that he wouldn’t be able to find his way back alone. They didn’t come across any of the others, and Hendery guessed Soonyoung had already told them they were on their way, and so they were staying away. It seemed like an unnecessary precaution, but with half the gang away on different missions, it was best if Xiaojun didn’t learn of those who had stayed back, just in case. He only ever knew Hendery was there, and whoever was in charge of the prisoners that day, usually Hoshi or Mingyu, and that was more than enough.

Finally, after ten minutes of walking through the warehouse, Hendery opened the door to the street. As usual, it was empty, with only a handful of street lamps that barely dispelled the darkness around them. Despite that, Hendery waited until he received the signal, an almost imperceptible flicker of the lights across the street, one that Wonwoo had set up so that they’d know when it was safe to leave.

Giving Xiaojun a slight push to get him out, Hendery reached for a small plastic bag tucked away and closed the door behind them. Walking a little bit faster then, Hendery lead Xiaojun through the alleyways that surrounded the warehouse, until they were far enough that he was sure he wouldn’t be able to find it on his own. Only then, after they had walked for another fifteen minutes, did Hendery risk untying the knot and letting Xiaojun see once again.

The other blinked, blinded by the sudden increase in lighting, and rubbed his eyes with a small groan.

“You know the drill. Here at the same time, I’ll come get you and all that stuff,” as he spoke, he folded the ribbon on itself, and put it away in his back pocket, not really paying attention to Xiaojun at all. Extending his arm towards Xiaojun, he shoved the plastic bag against his chest. It contained everything that Xiaojun had carried with him before walking in the warehouse: a phone and keys, his wallet and a battered usb drive. “See you tomorrow.”

“Hendery…”

“Hm?” He asked as he was about to turn away. “What is it?” He asked over his shoulder, looking straight at Xiaojun and freezing as he did so. 

The expression on Xiaojun’s face reminded him of things long gone, of nights spent together under the cover of their blankets, kids whispering each other secrets like they held the potential to ruin the world. It tugged at his heart, and the part of him that still longed for those days. But those were times long gone, and Hendery knew he had to leave them behind, lest he got caught up in the past, so entangled in it he’d never be able to break free.

He’d almost gotten his heart broken, once. He didn’t want to repeat it.

For a minute, Xiaojun didn’t say anything, his eyes roaming across the sky, and Hendery thought he’d regretted what he’d been about to let slip out.

“I didn’t think I’d ever hear you calling me ‘Dejun’ again,” Xiaojun said then, almost too softly to be heard.

Still, his words carried in the silent street, and Hendery stood there, muscles locked into place, watching as Xiaojun slipped away into the night.

***

After that night, they came to an agreement of sorts. Hendery would escort Xiaojun in and out of the warehouse, and he’d stay there, sitting behind him, a silent companion more than a guard, as he kept an eye on the other and made sure he didn’t overexert himself. Xiaojun didn’t complain anymore after that last time, choosing to do his work in silence.

They weren’t friends, but it was a sort of tentative truce that allowed them to breathe more freely than before, even if it was a truce that they knew could easily be disrupted. 

Frustrated, tired, and bored out of their minds, with just too much history between them and a resentment that hadn’t really settled, they’d take it on the other, poking at old wounds until they bled, and they both knew that.

It was just a matter of time.

“What do you mean, ‘why am I still here’, Xiaojun?” Hendery asked, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. 

“Oh, come on, Hendery. One doesn’t have to be a genius to guess why they paired you up with me, but what even are you doing here? You were always so talented, you can practically change the future if you so want to. There’s something else you could be doing, other than this,” Xiaojun said, almost offhandedly, his words strangely cheery. Hendery knew better than to trust his nonchalant attitude, though, and didn’t reply. Soon enough, Xiaojun glanced at him from the corner of his eye, his body still angled towards Kun. “How far ahead into the future can you see now? A day, two?” Hendery remained silent, and Xiaojun turned around to stare at him, interest obvious in his eyes. His jaw twitching slightly, Hendery balled his hands, knowing what would come next. “Don’t tell me you haven’t pushed your upper limits?”

“Xiaojun, just shut up and do you work,” Hendery begged, turning his eyes to the ceiling. His words shook for a moment, almost imperceptible except for those who knew him, knew him inside and out. For those it should have been enough.

“You actually haven’t,” Xiaojun replied to himself, something like shock in his voice as he ignored his plea, eyes boring into Hendery’s face. “I thought you were more than powerful enough to do it.”

“Clearly, you thought wrong,” Hendery replied as he stood up, unable to keep sitting.

It wasn’t really true, if he were to be honest. He could have pushed his limits further, he _had_ done so in the past, but it had been draining. It took way too much from him to just take a peek into the following day, and it became unbearable if it was any further than that. He could do it, if need be. He _had_ done it, when his friends had needed him to, but he didn’t do it unless it was absolutely necessary. 

He didn’t like how it left him drained, unprotected. He had become too used to having his power on at every waking moment, like he was a phone: on at all times, and receiving incoming notifications even if it wasn’t actively being used. The strongest visions still came, like an occasional phone call, and he was so used to it he barely gave it a thought, always in the back-burner of his mind. It was comfortable, and it was more than enough, most times.

He had wanted more, once. He still did, still wanted to become stronger, better. But the truth was that exercising his abilities like that left him useless for a while, with no value to the gang, and so Seungcheol had asked him to stop. And Hendery did, because that was his boss, and those were his people, even if it had pained him to do so.

But that wasn’t something he could say there, with everyone listening. It wasn’t something he could tell _Xiaojun_ , who’d take his words and turn them into a scalpel, use them to rip his heart out.

“You were always so eager to improve when we were kids. I just didn’t expect you to stop doing that, I guess,” he was saying then, carefully watching Hendery.

“Yeah, well, sometimes we can’t get everything what we want. Sometimes we have to do something we don’t like to achieve something else,” Hendery tried to keep the bitterness from his voice, even as it choked him. 

He knew he was little more than a glorified babysitter. He also knew what he was doing was important. It didn’t make it hurt any less.

Xiaojun looked like he wanted to keep pressing, but he must have seen something in Hendery’s expression, something that made him keep his mouth shut, and turn to face Kun once again. It made it a bit easier for Hendery to breathe, ignore the flash of disappointment he had glimpsed in Xiaojun’s eyes, one that had made his stomach churn in embarrassment. 

His phone pinged then, and Hendery rushed to see who it was, grateful for the interruption. Seeing the ID of the sender, however, made his heart drop.

Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply, squeezing the phone between his hands so strongly he briefly feared he’d crush it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Minghao, but rather that he didn’t want Minghao to listen to any of his thoughts right then. It was bad enough that he had to face them, and that Xiaojun seemed to share the sentiment, the pity in his eyes obvious. 

He didn’t want anyone else to know.

Once he thought he had calmed down enough, he typed in a quick reply, watching as Minghao typed back almost immediately. 

“Got somewhere else to be?” Xiaojun asked over his shoulder right then, and Hendery put the phone away.

Hooking his left ankle under the right one, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest.

“The8 is coming by today,” he replied instead, ignoring Xiaojun’s question. “I’m sure you know this already but: move weirdly, look at him funny, or even just _think_ about something you shouldn’t be thinking, and you’ll be dead where you stand,” he warned, Xiaojun’s eyes widening at his tone. “The8 won’t tolerate any of your bullshit.”

“You say that as if _you_ do,” Xiaojun murmured under his breath. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but why are you so worried about my physical integrity all of a sudden? I thought you might be grateful to get rid of me once and for all.”

“Who says I’ve ever been worried?” Hendery gave him a lopsided smile, causing Xiaojun’s expression to darken. “I just find it too much of a pain to clean the blood from the floor to do anything, but he has no such qualms so…,” leaving the end of the sentence unsaid, he shrugged.

“When is he coming?” Xiaojun asked, choosing to ignore Hendery’s words.

“He didn’t say exactly when, but soon,” Minghao had been busy lately, running from one place to another to provide backup for several different members of the group. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t seen him, or much of the others, for the last couple of days. “Do you need a break?” He took a step closer, noticing how Xiaojun rolled his shoulders and stretched his back. 

Maybe they needed to get him a chair, at least.

“That might be a good idea,” Xiaojun answered. “Thank you.”

They hadn’t taken more than a couple of steps towards the door when it opened, and Minghao stepped in. Hendery and Xiaojun both froze, like they had been caught doing something improper, and Minghao stared at them, brows raised ever so slightly.

“Were you going somewhere?” His fringe, slightly overgrown, accompanied his moves as he tilted his head to the side, curiously looking at Hendery, then at Xiaojun.

“Yes. I was going to get Xiaojun out for a minute, he’s been working for a long time and I thought it would help him relax a little,” Hendery replied, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m afraid that can’t be it,” Minghao replied, apologetic. “Xiaojun is here to help us, and so he can’t be let outside unless it’s an emergency.” His words, as usual, were soft, but one would be very wrong to consider Minghao anything of the sort. 

Xiaojun, standing so close to Hendery their arms were brushing, stood as still as a statue. Hendery didn’t need to look to know that waves of anger were rolling from him, probably showing on his face. As inconspicuously as he could, he reached for him, pinched the hem of his shirt to beg him to stay quiet. 

“Is this an emergency?” Minghao asked, eyes fixed on Xiaojun’s face, a challenge in his voice.

Xiaojun took half a step forward, coming between Hendery and Minghao, and Hendery gripped his shirt more firmly, pulling at it like he could restrain Xiaojun like that. For a moment, Xiaojun said nothing, and Hendery feared he was just about to do something stupid.

_XIAOJUN YOU’RE SMARTER THAN THIS._

Minghao’s eyes flickered to Hendery’s eyes just as Xiaojun relaxed his shoulders.

“It’s not an emergency,” he replied instead. His voice was stable, measured, and Hendery would bet there was a smile on his lips to match his tone. 

That knowledge didn’t make him feel any better, though, having seen that expression before, and knowing what it had entailed back then. There weren’t many things that put such a smile on Xiaojun’s lips, but they always meant trouble.

Minghao seemed faintly amused by that, like he couldn’t wait to see whatever the other had up his sleeve, but Xiaojun said nothing, instead returning to the place where he had been before: sitting on the floor, in the middle of the room, so close to the glass panel his knees were pressed against it, almost like they were about to become one.

His shoulders were tense, his back hunched, but he went back to doing his job, just as if they weren’t there.

Minghao smiled to himself, barely a quirk of his lips, and walked leisurely towards the spot Hendery had been occupying before. After a small moment of hesitation, Hendery followed him, mimicking his pose as he leaned against the wall, keeping a wary eye on both Minghao and Xiaojun. 

The quiet snort that Minghao let out made Hendery think he had very much aware of the fact that Hendery stood between both of them, like he didn’t trust them to behave. 

“You still think too loud for your own good,” Minghao muttered, chuckling to himself when Hendery averted his eyes, biting his bottom lip in embarrassment. 

_SHUT THE FUCK UP MINGHAO_

At that, Minghao fully cackled, throwing his head back. Hendery kicked him lightly on his shin, pretending to be annoyed, while Xiaojun twisted around to frown at them, irritation etched on the lines of his face.

“What are you doing here?” Hendery asked, tilting his head to the side to look at Minghao, after telling Xiaojun with a pointed look to go back to work.

_I THOUGHT YOU WERE BUSY?_

“Can’t I come keep company to my favourite underling?” Minghao replied, a teasing edge to his words.

Hendery knew him better than that, though, and straightened up when he caught the undercurrent of tension that lined his tone.

Knowing better than to ask directly, he waited until Minghao typed something out on his phone, and turned it around for him to read.

_Chan and Hyunjin reported back_

_Theres trouble in the port_

_Seungcheol is worried, wants to meet after this_

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Hendery replied instead, keeping an eye out for Xiaojun. At the same time, he tapped with his fingertips against his leg, a nervous habit that still appeared from time to time.

_DO YOU NEED ME TO GET RID OF HIM?_

Hendery’s eyes meet Kun’s over Xiaojun’s head, and a chill went down his spine at the sight of such a vacant expression. He stilled his fingers and returned all of his attention to Minghao.

_Not yet_ , read the phone. _He can’t suspect a thing_

Nodding, Hendery forced himself to breathe in deeply, trying to loosen up his shoulders, and for a minute of two, none of them said anything, the only sound to be heard that of Minghao’s fingers typing on the phone’s screen. 

It would have been almost peaceful, if not for the looming feeling of the tension building up in the room. Hendery shook his head, but his mind refused to comply, still conjuring up that image.

“So, tell me. How’s it going?” Minghao asked after he put away his phone, moving around until he was leaning with one shoulder against the wall, Hendery the sole recipient of his attention.

“Slow,” Xiaojun turned around and replied before Hendery could do so much as opening his mouth to do so. There was an edge of irritation to his words, faint but still present, and Hendery’s heart thumped loudly in his chest, feeling worry creeping into his veins. “Crafting an illusion without any kind of direct contact between us is so damn slow,” he growled, pressing his palms against his eyes.

“We don’t mind. We’re not in a hurry,” Minghao asked, shrugging his shoulders in calculated indifference.

Xiaojun, however, laughed, a low, bitter laugh, that left Minghao looking at him in suspicion.

“You can’t think I’m that stupid, _The8_ ,” Xiaojun replied, pronouncing Minghao’s alias like it disgusted him. 

It surprised Hendery, the amount of hate that seemed to drip from Xiaojun’s voice as he spoke but, then again, he might as well hate them all. He wouldn’t be surprised by it. 

“What are you talking about?” Minghao said as he crossed his arms over his chest, glancing at Hendery out of the corner of his eye as he did so.

“You know what I’m talking about, don’t insult us both. Just because I don’t belong to a gang it doesn’t mean I don’t hear what people say, that I don’t know what is going on.”

“And what is it that people say, huh? Care to share with the rest of us?” Minghao’s voice was as calm and collected and always, or at least that’s what it seemed like. 

Hendery had heard him use that exact same tone just enough times before to know what was about to come would not be pleasant and, contrary to what he had told Xiaojun just a little while earlier, he wasn’t particularly keen on seeing him dead just yet.

“I think that’s enough,” he said, trying to come in between them, but Minghao shook his head and tsked his tongue.

“No, no, Hendery. Your friend here has started this, might as well just finish it, don’t you think?” Minghao smiled, an inviting grin that was at odds with the shadows lurking in his eyes. “What is it that you’ve heard, boy?”

“Xiaojun…,” Hendery threatened, against his most sensible thoughts. Xiaojun didn’t even glance at him.

“That you moved too fast and too recklessly. That Wayv is coming back, and they’re going to obliterate your asses,” the look in Xiaojun’s eyes was almost manic, like he was enjoying every single word he was saying.

“Wouldn’t you like that, huh?” Minghao calmly replied, his hands slowly coming to rest by his hips.

Recognizing Minghao’s stance, Hendery caught something moving from the corner of his eye, and saw the flash of knives flying through the air, a corpse lying in a pool of blood, blades stained red, and came to stand between the both of them, arms raised in a placating gesture.

“I think that’s enough,” he said, keeping his voice as steady as he could. “Minghao, I think Xiaojun has had enough for today, so I’m going to escort him outside,” without waiting for Minghao’s response, Hendery pivoted around on his heel to shoot Xiaojun his most threatening glare. “Xiaojun, don’t you dare say another word, or I swear we’ll both regret it.”

Stalking off to where Xiaojun was, leaning against the far off wall, Hendery grabbed him by his arm and all but dragged him outside, not listening to any of his complains. 

Jeonghan watched them leave from his spot beside the door, a surprised and faintly amused smile on his lips as a long string of obscenities spilled from Hendery’s lips.

“I thought you were smarter than that,” Hendery muttered once they were outside as he half-guided, half-dragged Xiaojun away from the warehouse. “Are you out of your damn mind? What were you even thinking about? That was reckless, and stupid! You can’t just go around saying shit like that and provoking people, much less people who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you! Your job is dangerous as it is, you don’t need to make it even worse!”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Xiaojun growled as they came to their usual spot, ripping the ribbon from his eyes.

“I wouldn’t do it if you knew what you were doing!”

“I _know_ what I’m doing!”

“Are you sure? Because it really doesn’t seem like it. These people don’t take lightly to those that mock them, and if you continue like this, you might end up regretting it, so. Shut. Up. Don’t say a fucking word. We haven’t come so far for you to send it all to hell just because of your damn pride so if you want to talk to them, do it through me,” he hissed digging his finger into Xiaojun’s chest. “And if you won’t do it for yourself, do it for the people you care about because if you go down, I promise you, you won’t be the only one who is.”

Xiaojun stared at him blankly, the mask of calmness that had settled over his face barely hiding the anger shining in his eyes.

“Shut up, Hendery. Just shut up,” he replies. His voice was monotone as he shoved the ribbon into Hendery’s chest, and he turned around without looking back.

Hendery watched him retreat until he was nothing more than a shadow against the night, and then headed back towards the warehouse, already knowing what he was going to find when he got there.

“Minghao told me what happened. Your boy seems impatient,” Seungcheol said as soon as Hendery stepped into his office, hands firmly planted on his desk. 

Jeonghan was also inside, leaning against the door to his right, his features scheduled into his usual pleasant expression, but even that couldn’t hide the tiredness he was feeling.

“He’s tired,” Hendery corrected him as he closed the door behind him. “I think he needs a break.”

“Are you sure it just that?”

“Positive. He knows better than to do that again. He’s just exhausted, like we are. What we’re asking of him is draining, and I think it’s getting to him. He won’t do that again.”

Seungcheol’s lips were pressed into a thin line, and his eyes were grim as he stared at Hendery.

“Are you sure about that?”

“The background check on him might have come clean, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone has managed to hide those ties from us,” Jeonghan interjected, his hair floating softly around his head, eyes burning brighter than usual. It hurt to look at him directly when he was using his powers, even if it was an unconscious thing like just then, and so Hendery turned his eyes to the ground, blinking the brightness away. He didn’t need to be bewitched by Jeonghan’s beauty, rooted to the ground and turned to stone. He’d seen the effect Jeonghan had in others, how they’d start babbling everything that was in their minds, completely out of it, and he didn’t want to experience it firsthand. “He could just hate us too, and that wouldn’t leave any kind of record.”

Hendery sighed, closing his eyes briefly, and rolled his shoulders before squaring them and answering.

“You might be right, and Xiaojun might hate us, but I honestly don’t think he’ll make any kind of move against us. He’s not _that_ stupid, or reckless. He always was one to bid his time, not to act on impulse. This was a fluke, and it won’t happen again.”

Seungcheol’s eyes bore onto his, and Hendery withstood the scrutiny until his boss gave him a curt nod.

“I hope you’re right, Hendery. It’s not really like we have any kind of choice here, and this was a risk we knew we were taking but there’s something that doesn’t sit well with me. Once Vernon gets back from his mission I’ll ask him to run a more thorough investigation on Xiaojun, see if he can find anything on him. Until then, keep an eye on the seer at all times,” Hendery nodded too, determined.

“When will Vernon be back?” He asked.

“Probably in a few days, it shouldn’t take much longer than that, a week maximum,” Seungcheol replied, but his voice dropped as he spoke, and he appeared to be distracted, eyes roaming his desk with his brow slightly pinched, not really paying them attention anymore.

Jeonghan and Hendery exchanged a look, and Jeonghan took a tentative step forward.

“Seungcheol—”

“Did you touch any of my papers?” Seungcheol cut Jeonghan, causing the other man to halt his moves and frown in surprise.

“No, of course not. I know how fussy you can get when someone does, why?”

Seungcheol rubbed his eyes, letting out a tired groan, and then shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it. I just… I’m probably just tired and paranoid with all this WayV stuff. That’s really why you’re here, Hendery,” he continued, his face making clear he wasn’t going to dwell on whatever had been troubling him before. Jeonghan seemed reluctant to accept it, but he leaned back against the wall, feet crossed at his ankles. “Do you think the work your friend has done will stand as it is for a few days, even if he doesn’t come and see Kun?”

Hendery briefly considered correcting his statement, but promptly decided it wasn’t worth it and merely shrugged.

“I don’t know. It should probably hold strong for a few days, because his illusions don’t fade that easily, but this one’s incomplete so I’m not sure. You would have to ask him to know. Why?”

“Xiaojun wasn’t wrong when he said that WayV is coming back,” Jeonghan replied, his features a mask of indifference.

“What do you mean?” Hendery asked, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. “I know we had people stirring up trouble but, is it getting that bad?”

“Worse,” Seungcheol replied. “We expected some difficulties, that much was obvious, but this is getting out of hand. People with known ties to WayV have come out of their hiding spot and are targeting us and our allies. Bang Chan managed to see some of the guys from the last raid and he assured me he knew them from previous encounters with WayV. They’re all pretty low ranked, but loyal, people who wouldn’t betray Kun or his men.”

“And is Bang Chan sure of this?”

“Completely,” Seungcheol replied. “You know him, he’s as loyal as the rest of us.”

“The thing is that these raids are all really organized,” Jeonghan said. “So there’s got to be someone who’s organizing them, and considering the rank of those who take part, and their loyalty, it has to be someone they trust.”

“It has to be WayV,” Hendery repeated, seeing where they were going. Jeonghan dipped his chin in assent. “What do you want me to do?”

“According to Felix and Seungkwan, word on the street is that there’s going to be a big raid soon. Probably tonight. And they say whoever is behind it is going to be present. I want you to use your powers and give us as many details on the raid as possible. If we could get whoever is behind all this, it would be of great help.”

Hendery nodded slowly, thinking about the implications of it.

“That would leave me useless for at least a day,” he replied. The pieces came together with a click. “That’s also why you don’t want Xiaojun to come back yet.”

“I don’t know in what state this will leave us,” Seungcheol admitted. “Hopefully, we’ll be stronger than before but, either way, you won’t be able to keep an eye on him while your powers are spent, and I don’t want to risk having that guy here while we can’t fully control him.”

“Well, I’d have to see if his illusions will hold, but he did say a couple of days ago that he needed someone to place in the illusion as Kun’s saviour. It’d probably be best if we could use someone we know he trusts, and he believes is still free. I’ll figure out what to tell him to keep him away from here without him suspecting too much.”

“You can do it, then?” Jeonghan asked.

Hendery shot him a grin as he sat himself on one of the chairs in front of Seungcheol’s desk, and Jeonghan in reply, delighted.

“Of course I can. Now shush and let me work,” he said, as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, reaching for his power.

***

The wait, as Hendery had come to learn, was excruciating. Minghao and Mingyu had insisted on driving him home to make sure he got there safely (or, Minghao had insisted, and Mingyu had gone along because even if it was his car, it was Minghao who called the shots), despite Hendery’s reassurance that he was fine.

Hendery had had no option but to smile and accept their offer, even if he hated how it made him feel. Minghao had taken a look at him, lips pursed in displeasure, and whacked him across the back of his head. It had left Hendery brushing the back of his head, grimacing in pain, but it’d been enough to dispel those thoughts.

“We’ll let you know what happened after we’re done,” Minghao promised as he escorted Hendery up the stairs.

They’d just reached Hendery’s door, and the soft light of the corridor’s lamps bathed Minghao in their glow as he turned away. It made Hendery want to reach forward, curl his fingers around Minghao’s wrist, but then his thoughts went back to Mingyu, sitting on the car as he waited, to the rest of the gang expecting them, and Hendery simply turned around, closing the door softly behind him.

It’d been almost three hours since then, and Hendery sat in his living room, still waiting. He hadn’t moved at all in the last half an hour, patiently waiting for the call he knew he was about to receive. Despite that, despite the reassurance that he’d seen it all unfold, he still feared something had gone wrong. His future wasn’t set in stone, after all, it was nothing but a mere suggestion that _could_ be changed. 

Maybe just him looking into it was enough to modify it, to make a stray bullet fly through the air and strike the wrong person, leaving devastating consequences in its wake. They all knew the risks, Hendery had made sure they did, but it was something that filled him with fear still.

Breathing in deeply, Hendery closed his eyes.

“They’ll be fine,” he whispered to himself. “They’ll be alright.”

Brushing his hair back with his left hand, he reached forward with his right one, fingertips tickling in excitement, the phone buzzing with an incoming message right after he closed his fingers around it. Eyes fluttering open, he couldn’t resist the rush of relief the rushed through his veins, the smile that bloomed on his face as he read the short text.

_We’re fine. Dw_

And then, another one

_Thanx_

Hendery allowed himself one minute to breathe in, to savour the relief in his veins and the hope in his heart, before returning his attention to the phone, already knowing what’d come next.

The phone was already halfway to Hendery’s ear by the time it started ringing, and he picked up the call to find a clearly alive but pissed off Minghao.

“They escaped,” was all he said for greeting, and Hendery found himself endeared despite his best efforts to not be.

“You’re all okay, though?” His question was met with a grumble, and then a quiet, frustrated sigh.

“Yeah, we’re all alive, if that’s what you mean. Seungcheol has a nasty cut in his stomach, and Jeonghan almost went berserk, but other than that, we’re mainly okay. A little worse for wear, and some of the guys are too spent to be of any help the next few days, but fine other than that.”

“What happened?” Hendery asked, moving around until he was sat with his legs under his body, fingers absentmindedly playing with a hole in his trousers.

“I don’t know, man. It went mostly as you told us, and we managed to catch most of the people that broke into the port warehouse. I’m not even sure why they went there, it barely has anything of interest,” Hendery hummed in reply.

“No idea either. I didn’t catch any of it from what I saw. What happened next?”

“Everything had gone just like you said, you know? And Jihoon and Mingyu had managed to put out of commission the most dangerous of them, but when we were tying them up and thinking what to do with them, the lights went out for a moment and, next thing we know, we were being attacked. At least that’s what I thought, at first, but they wouldn’t coming, trying to go after Mingyu, never stopping no matter how many of them I cut up, and then I realized they weren’t thinking, which is impossible, everyone thinks, and I thought there was something weird going on.”

“What did you do?” Hendery asked, feeling fear and apprehension setting in his stomach, even if he knew they were all safe. Minghao sighed, and the sound became muffled as he spoke to someone who wasn’t Hendery. 

It was quiet for a few more minutes, and Hendery waited patiently until Minghao went back to him.

“I tried to talk to some of the others, but it was as if they didn’t hear me. Once I tried to read their minds and realize they, too, weren’t thinking, I realized it must have been some kind of mental illusion. So I broke it. My hand still stings, but at least we’re alive. I’m not sure what would have happened if I hadn’t woken up when I did, and then woke up the others.”

“Any idea of who could have done this?”

“The only one I can think of are the Dreamcatcher girls. It looks like the nightmare ability one of them has, but I thought they didn’t get involved in things like this. The only alliance they seemed to support was the one they have with the Loona people.”

“Maybe that’s why they got involved, then,” Hendery replied, straightening his legs with a small groan. “Word on the street says Loona’s second in command is a childhood friend of Winwin’s. Maybe Vivi reached out for the Dreamcatcher girls to help out.”

“Huh. I didn’t know that. It might be, then, I’ll make sure to let Seungcheol know when he wakes up,” Minghao replied, and even through the phone Hendery could tell he was thinking hard.

“Is he still out?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Joshua and Jeonghan won’t let anyone near, not even us. They’ll let us know when he’s awake, and I’ll text you, don’t worry.”

“Thank you,” Hendery breathed out. “And, I’m sorry I didn’t see this. I could have prevented this, if only I’d tried harder.”

“Don’t,” Minghao ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument, and Hendery closed his mouth shut. “We all know you tried your best. It was our decision to have you focus more on what was going on in the warehouse and not the surroundings. There’s little you could have done, and no one blames you. If anything, we should have been more careful, but we got careless and we’re paying the price.”

“At least we saved the warehouse,” Hendery whispered, and Minghao hummed his assent, although he didn’t seem particularly comforted by that. “You should probably rest, it’s been a long day,” he continued, noting Minghao’s tiredness even if he hadn’t said a word.

“You too,” Minghao replied, not even protesting, and that was clear evidence that he was more tired than he’d let on. “I think you’ll probably be able to come back with Xiaojun the day after tomorrow, and don’t bother swinging by tomorrow. With our plan A blown to pieces, we’ll have to resort to trying to fool Kun, so we need you to be in top shape, okay?”

“Of course.”

“Also, were you the one who bought more of the knock out serum?” Minghao asked as Hendery was about to hang up on him.

“Yes, Vernon told me we were running out of it and I put in an order like a week ago in his name, seeing as he was away and couldn’t do it himself. Why?”

“Oh, I didn’t know that, I thought we still had plenty. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you because I saw the box just as we were leaving and grabbed some on my way out. It turned out to be a good idea because we almost couldn’t wake up Mingyu, and he was hell-bent on kicking our asses and probably killing us along the way. Maybe your powers are rubbing on me,” Minghao said, a teasing tilt to his words. Hendery could almost see the small smile on his lips, and snorted.

“Maybe. Goodnight, Minghao.”

“Night, Hendery.”

***

“You’re early,” Hendery opened his eyes when he heard the voice, felt the footsteps approach.

“So are you,” he replied, causing Xiaojun to crack the barest of smiles. His cheeks were rosy with the morning chill, his red backpack the only splash of colour against the grey that surrounded them.

“You can’t know that. You’ve always gotten here after I did.”

“Doesn’t matter. I know,” Hendery said, clicking his tongue. “Turn around. I hope you’re calmer than last time,” he said as Xiaojun turned his back to him, rolling his eyes as he did. “I don’t think Minghao will tolerate anything you try to pull off today. Things are really tense right now.”

“Don’t worry about it, Hendery. I’m fine, I know what to do.” 

“I really hope you do,” Hendery breathed out. Xiaojun tilted his head to the side. 

“That bad?” He asked.

Hendery opened his mouth to reply, but just when he was about to, his hands faltered as he reached for the ribbon, flashes of colour exploding behind his eyelids. He shuddered, a small gasp escaping through his lips, and Xiaojun turned his face toward him when he heard it, his brows furrowed.

“Are you alright?”

“Today’s the day, Dejun,” Hendery replied as he fastened the knot behind Xiaojun’s head, ignoring his question. 

“Already?” He asked, surprise obvious in his voice. Hendery snorted.

“We’ve been at this for two weeks. One would think you’d be more excited to get rid of us,” he replied, tauntingly.

Xiaojun brought his elbow back, hitting Hendery square in the stomach before the other had the chance to move away.

“Shut up, Hendery. You know what I mean,” he replied. He tried to sound stern, but he couldn’t keep all the amusement from his tone, and Hendery smiled.

It was a short-lived smile, whoever, gone as soon as Hendery had made sure the ribbon was tied appropriately, not too loosely, not too tightly. His fingertips brushed against Xiaojun’s backpack, the material rough against his skin as he absentmindedly fiddled with the zipper of the outer pocket, lost in his mind for a few seconds.

He shook his head.

“Ready?” He asked, as he gently curved his fingers around Xiaojun’s elbow.

“Ready,” the other replied, nodding briefly. Hendery squeezed his elbow before guiding him towards the warehouse, feeling the end approach with every step they took.

Soon, they were standing in front of the warehouse’s doors, and these were being opened from the inside. Mingyu welcomed them inside, motioning to get in quickly, eyes scanning the street, before shutting the door close behind them, bolting the locks in place.

Xiaojun waited patiently for Hendery to untie the blindfold, but when Hendery was about to lead him to the cells, Mingyu stepped in front of him, blocking his way. Hendery stopped, surprised.

“Seungcheol wants both of you to go to his office,” he said, giving Hendery a pointed look.

Hendery nodded.

“We’ll be there in two. Come on, Xiaojun.”

Inside the warehouse, the air was charged, either from the lingering tension and resentment from the failed operation, or from the expectation of what was to come, like everyone was holding their breaths, waiting. Out of the corner of his eye, Hendery spied several familiar faces watching them. There were less than Hendery had thought there would be, but he guessed the attack had weakened their forces more than expected.

“We’re almost there, Dejun. Ready?” He asked, when he saw the door to Seunchgeol’s office.

“What kind of question is that?” Xiaojun replied. There was a confident smile playing on the corner of his lips, his tone suggesting he thought Hendery’s question was stupid, and so Hendery dipped his chin in acknowledgement. 

None of them said anything of Xiaojun’s balled fists, buried deep in his pockets.

Instead, Hendery focused on the next step, on his fingers wrapping around the doorknob, and pulling the door open. He let Xiaojun walk in first, before closing the door quietly behind them.

Waiting for them inside Seungcheol’s office, were Seungcheol and Jeonghan. It made Hendery think back to the last time he’d seen both men, although he knew the situation was very different. Seungcheol had rolled up his shirt’s sleeves, showing his arms, that were covered in fresh bandages. Likewise, Jeonghan sported a split lip, and a nasty bruise on his cheek bone, one that was starting to bloom, a splash of purple on his face.

“Hendery, we need to talk,” Seungcheol’s tone was neutral, controlled. It set Hendery on edge.

Xiaojun hovered next to him, moving imperceptibly closer to him.

“What is it?” Hendery asked, curious, his eyes jumping from Jeonghan to Seungcheol. 

“We’ve heard something that has unsettled us,” Seungcheol replied, carefully inspecting his face.

“Really? And, what was it?”

“A trusted source tells us that your friend here was at the WayV raid, two nights ago,” Jeonghan said, moving closer to Seungcheol. 

“That’s ridiculous,” Hendery scoffed.

“And that, after it was done, he texted you,” Jeonghan continued, ignoring Hendery like he hadn’t spoken at all. “They told me Xiaojun is part of WayV. And that you are, too,” as he spoke, he leaned forward, eyes boring persistently into Hendery’s.

“That’s ridiculous,” Hendery repeated, not looking away from Seungcheol. “You know me, I’ve been with you guys for so long, I’ve done whatever you guys have asked me to do, why would you believe that source?”

“They have never once lied to me.”

“Well, I haven’t lied to you guys either!” Hendery protested, offended by Jeonghan’s words. 

“You haven’t, that’s true,” Seungcheol said then, speaking slowly. Hendery breathed in, relieved. “But why haven’t you looked Jeonghan in the eye since you got here?”

Hendery shot him a tightlipped smile, one devoid of all mirth, more a grimace than a true smile.

“I don’t like the idea of losing my identity. No offense, Jeonghan, but I’ve seen what you’ve done to others before and, forgive me if I don’t want to experience that myself.”

“It’s the easiest way to prove your innocence. If you refuse, I’ll have to understand that you’re a traitor, and you know what we do with traitors. Would you like to experience that instead?” Seungcheol asked. His tone left no room for doubt: Hendery would not leave that room, should he refuse.

“Of course not,” he replied, coming closer to Xiaojun. Seungcheol and Jeonghan both followed his movements as he raised his left hand, let it rest against the outer pocket of Xiaojun’s backpack. The tension in both their bodies was unmistakable. “No one would want that,” he said, his tone light, not betraying the way colours exploded in his mind.

_The door, slowly opening. Mingyu coming in, slipping in through the barely opened door, closing it after him._

_Strong arms around him that would force him to stay in place as Jeonghan stalked towards him, eyes turning red, blond hair a halo around his face as he turned Hendery to stone, forced him to do his bidding. The charm of a snake, bleeding into his mind._

Hendery’s hand slipped into Xiaojun’s pocket, the one he’d purposefully left open before. His fingers closed in around a thing, elongated object, and he sneakily got it out, making sure neither Jeonghan or Seungcheol noticed his movements.

Behind him, the doorknob wobbled, before it slowly turned down.

“You’ll have to excuse me for a second, Xiaojun,” he said. “This will hold me back for a little while.”

Xiaojun turned his head to the side, looking at him from the corner of his eye. Hendery paid him no mind, and counted in his mind.

_One_

_Two_

_Three!_

Pivoting on the soles of his feet, Hendery thrust his arms forward almost blindly, following what he had seen on his visions. Mingyu’s eyes widened in surprise as the needle found his neck, and, before any of them could react, Hendery pressed the syringe’s plunger, sending the clear liquid it contained directly to his bloodstream.

Mingyu stumbled, a hand reaching forward to rip the syringe from Hendery’s hands, but the damage was done: the knockout serum Hendery had ordered and stolen a couple of doses from was already coursing through his veins, and Mingyu would be down in a matter of seconds. Hendery hadn’t counted on Minghao finding the serum when he did, but it had played even better than he’d expected into his plans, for Mingyu’s system wouldn’t have gotten rid of all the drug yet, and the new dose would affect him sooner.

Sure enough, one of Mingyu’s legs gave out, already unable to keep him standing.

“Get them out!” Hendery screamed at Xiaojun, without bothering to look at him. The sound of Xiaojun’s footsteps as he sprinted down the hall was enough of an answer for him.

Hendery threw himself at the door too, to run through it and close it behind him, but, before he could even take a step forward, he felt it, invisible hands around his neck and covering his mouth and nose.

He hadn’t been able to see Seungcheol’s ability in action, but he knew it was deadly, knew the ability to manipulate the air around a person allowed him to manipulate their oxygen intake, and so he could kill or incapacitate someone in a matter of seconds.

“Petrify him, Jeonghan. I don’t want him to run until we get Minghao to interrogate him,” he heard, and panicked.

One look in Jeonghan’s eyes and he’d be done. Much longer inside Seungcheol’s office, and he’d be done too.

Reaching back, he turned around. Mingyu was lying on the floor, sprawled between him and Jeonghan, already passed out. Jeonghan was carefully stepping over his fallen comrade, and Seungcheol hadn’t moved from where he stood behind his desk.

Closing his eyes to focus against the rising panic and the air shortage, he closed his fingers around the hilt of the dagger he always wore, hidden. It had been a gift from Minghao, the irony of it all not lost to him as he threw it forward.

In such a small space, and in such close distance, there was no way he could miss, and, sure enough, Seungcheol let out a cry of pain as the dagger buried itself up to the hilt in his shoulder.

“Seungcheol!” Jeonghan whipped around to look at him, alarmed.

“Don’t let him go!” Seungcheol replied, and Jeonghan turned around, but it was too late.

Hendery was already out of the office, the air rushing to his veins once again. Seungcheol’s ability to restrict one’s airflow required him to have direct visual contact with his target, and the split second in which he had closed them from the pain had been more than enough for Hendery.

He closed the door behind just in time, Jeonghan colliding against the wooden plank an instant later, making the door tremble in its hinges.

Searching frantically around, he spotted a forgotten chair not too far away from there. With one of his hands holding onto the doorknob for dear life, pulling on it to keep it closed with as much force as he could muster, and stretching both his arms as far as he could, Hendery managed to close his free hand around the chair’s backrest.

With his arm groaning in pain from trying to resist Jeonghan’s assaults against the door, Hendery brought the chair closer. Timing it carefully so that he’d move in the few-second intervals between each assault, Hendery placed the chair so that its backrest would prevent Jeonghan from opening it, at least until he managed to break the door.

It was nothing more than a temporary solution, but it was all they had, and it would have to be enough.

After seeing both the door and chair would hold, at least for the time being, Hendery sprinted towards the cell holding section of the warehouse, adrenaline kicking in at the prospect of a fight, but as he got near, he realized the door that lead to the cells was open wide, Soonyoung standing idly beside it.

His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and he tapped the floor with his left foot, following some music only he could hear. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world, like there wasn’t a rival member breaking the rest of his gang free mere meters away, but it wasn’t until Hendery came close enough to him that he saw the vacant look in his eyes, void of all light, and he remembered that fleeting moment in which Xiaojun had come in contact with Soonyoung’s bare skin.

_You never know what someone has planted in your head until it’s too late_ , Minghao’s words rang in Hendery’s mind, and a part of his couldn’t help but appreciate the irony in them even as he ran past Soonyoung.

The door to Ten’s cell was opened wide, with Xiaojun kneeling by the control panel as he frantically rummaged through his backpack, Ten’s piercing gaze not once leaving him. 

When Xiaojun heard his steps approaching, he turned around, blindly brandishing a gun at him. Only Hendery’s reflexes and the vision that overcame him saved him from the bullet that was destined for his brain.

“Dejun, the fuck!” He shouted, and Xiaojun immediately lowered his weapon.

“Fuck, sorry! I thought you were someone else. Take this!” As he spoke, he threw something at Hendery, that he rushed to catch between his hands. Looking down, Hendery stared at thin, almost transparent rectangles, made of something that almost looked like glass. The wires and plaques that run through it helped him realize those were the keys to unlock the cells. “They’re the keys to Sicheng and Kun’s cells, hurry!”

“I’ll go get Sicheng and send you to help with Yukhei, I think we’ll have to carry him!” Hendery pivoted on his heels, about to sprint to the next cell.

On the other side of the cell, Ten had stood up, got closer to the glass separating them, a calculating glint in his eye.

“Hendery, wait!”

Gripping the door jamb to stop his momentum, Hendery whipped his head to look at Xiaojun.

“What?”

“Kart racer,” Xiaojun let out as he got up, having finally found the key to Ten’s cell.

“What!?”

“Kart racer!” Xiaojun repeated, his hands shaking on either anxiousness or frustration. Behind them, the glass panel rose with a hiss, and Ten took a tentative step forward. “It’s the command to access and undo Yangyang’s programming!” Turning around, Xiaojun stared at Ten, who looked about to pounce on him. “Ten! Codeword: kart racer,” Ten tilted his head to the side, confused. “Undo memory’s blockage.”

At that, Ten’s eyes clouded for a moment, and he shuddered. Xiaojun got closer to him, ready to catch him should he fall, but Ten sobered up quickly enough, still able to stand on his own, so Xiaojun dropped his arms to his side.

Scrunching his nose, Ten looked around, his eyes locking on Hendery almost immediately. A grin started to spread through his face.

“Hendery, baby,” he purred, and Hendery would have almost cried right there and then from the sheer relief of hearing Ten addressing him again. “Mind telling me what the fuck happened? And who is this?” He asked, pointing his thumb at Xiaojun.

“A long story, Ten, and right now we need to get the fuck out of here. He’s Xiaojun, and he’s trustworthy. Just listen to him and help him get Yukhei out.”

“If you say so,” Ten replied, staring at Xiaojun like he wanted to dissect him. Xiaojun looked uncomfortable from having Ten focusing on him like that, but, to his credit, he stood his ground. Hendery smiled.

“It’s so good to have you back, Tennie. Behave!” He shouted over his shoulder, his legs already carrying him to Sicheng’s cell.

Like the last time he had seen him, and every single time before that, Sicheng was strapped to the chair, heavy chains coiling around him like snakes, rendering him unable to move. It made Hendery’s stomach churn in anger, feeling it bubbling in his veins, but he pushed it aside. It was not time for that kind of emotions, not when they would be in danger in mere minutes.

Running to the side of the room, he tried with the first key, then the other when a red light signalled he had tried the wrong one. The glass panel rose with a hiss behind them, the faint sound enough to make Sicheng lift his head, a puzzled look in his eyes as he stared at Hendery. 

The panel in Sicheng’s room was more sophisticated than the one in Ten’s, as the chains themselves didn’t have any kind of physical key in case they wanted to be released, and were instead controlled using a complex system of pulls and levers that kept them in place. Hendery hadn’t had enough time to study it without raising suspicions, but after a few tries (one of which started to tighten the chains around Sicheng’s body until Hendery figured out how to undo it), he managed to completely set him free.

The only thing left to do was to release his wrists and ankles, tied with rope to the chair, and Hendery ran to him, reaching for a knife strapped to his lower leg.

“Codeword: kart racer,” he repeated Xiaojun’s words as he knelt by Sicheng’s side, cautious not to cut the rope before he did it, in case Sicheng decided he was the enemy and tried to knock him out. “Undo memory’s blockage.”

Just like it had happened with Ten, Sicheng’s eyes clouded, his body locking in place for a few seconds, before relaxing once again. Sicheng shook his head, blinking a couple of times to get rid of the haze that still lingered.

“Hendery?” He asked as he looked down. He tried to move, and seemed to notice the rope keeping him in place just then. “What happened? Where are we?”

“Seventeen got to us,” Hendery replied as he cut through the binds around Sicheng’s right hand, letting it free so that he could rip the rope from the other, and moving to his ankles. “Xiaojun and I are freeing you right now, and we need to hurry before they get to us. Can you stand?”

“I think so,” Sicheng replied once Hendery took a step back, after cutting through the last of the rope. “Who’s Xiaojun?”

“No time to explain,” Hendery shook his head, before telling Sicheng to follow him. “You’ll find him with Ten in Yukhei’s cell. Go help him, and I’ll get Kun. It’s that one,” pointing at the door’s cell, he waited for Sicheng to nod in understanding before rushing to the last remaining cell, his legs just barely keeping him standing.

Once he heard the door open, and spied Hendery rushing in, his cheeks flushed, a smile gradually spread through Kun’s face, and he slowly stood up.

“It’s time?” He asked.

“Let’s go home, Kun,” the smile Hendery shot him was small, but genuine, happiness and relief mixing in his veins for a few exhilarating moments before he rushed to the side, punched the key in and released Kun.

“Thank you,” Kun said as he stepped outside the cell he had occupied for over a month. “Cameras?”

“Xiaojun broke into Seungcheol’s office a couple of days ago and managed to hack into them. I think he gave access to them to someone else, and now whoever is watching will only see a loop playing.”

“Yangyang,” the corner of Kun’s lips inched up, an amused smile playing there. “I’ve missed that kid.”

“No time for nostalgia, boss. We need to get the fuck out of here,” Hendery beckoned him closer with a wave of his hand, leading him to where Yukhei was being held.

“Kun!” Ten called out to them as they left Kun’s cell. Kun’s head shot up as soon as he heard Ten’s voice, and stumbled back when Ten barreled into him, engulfing him in a hug so fierce it threatened to throw them both to the floor. “How are you? Did they hurt you?” Ten hands roamed over Kun’s body, inspecting as much of him as he could.

“I’m fine, Ten, don’t worry,” it took Kun, and Hendery, repeating that to Ten a couple of times before he stepped back, even if he still seemed unsatisfied. 

“They hurt Yukhei, Kun,” Ten’s eyes were murderous, his ire so intense it was almost tangible. 

Kun’s eyes slipped to where Yukhei was somewhat held between Xiaojun and Sicheng. His head hung low between his shoulders, his unconsciousness obvious in the way his body was limp, and barely kept standing by the combined effort of the two men. The absence of wings on his back was obvious, and when Sicheng moved him to get a better grab on his body, they could all see the bloodstains on his arm, the one he had snaked around Yukhei’s waist.

Clenching his jaw, Kun turned his head towards the door.

“We’ll make them pay, Ten. But we need to get out of here first.”

Ten didn’t look satisfied by Kun’s reply, opening and closing his fists like he wanted to fight. But Ten hadn’t made it to where he was then by not controlling himself, by always following his first instinct.

“What’s the situation, Hendery?” He asked instead. His voice was barely stable, the cracks in it as he spoke betraying his fury, but Hendery knew he’d hold himself at bay, just like Kun knewtoo. Ten was reliable like that.

“Mingyu is out of commission, and I managed to trap Jeonghan and Seungcheol inside his office for a while,” he replied as they stalked towards the door. “They’ll probably be about to free themselves if they haven’t already, though, so we need to be quick.”

“What about the others?”

“Joshua is around but he’ll probably focus on healing Seungcheol. Vernon and Seungkwan are out of the territory right now, and Woozi was sent to strike a deal with Monsta X. I’m pretty sure Minghao is here, but I haven’t seen him yet, and I don’t know about the rest.”

“Hoshi was guarding the door when I got here but I managed to put him out of commission too. Don’t hit him or the illusion will break,” Xiaojun’s instructions put an interested gleam in Ten’s eyes, but he stayed silent. “I haven’t really seen anyone else, but many got pretty beaten up two nights ago, so I wouldn’t count on reinforcements coming any time soon.”

“If they found out about Hendery being a mole, how is it that they didn’t have more people to counteract you?” Sicheng grunted to his left.

“They thought my powers were more limited than they really are,” Hendery replied, smiling when he heard the amused huff coming from Ten. “No one’s coming yet, Soon—, Hoshi is still out of it. We’ll have company soon if we don’t leave now, though,” he said, the flash of footsteps approaching the cells clear as day behind his eyelids.

“Do you think you can drag Yukhei to the exit fast enough?” Kun asked. “It might be a problem if we have to fight but—”

“I can stand,” Yukhei’s sudden whisper made them all jump out of their skin, except for Hendery, who just smiled.

“Welcome to the land of the living, man.”

“Thank you,” Yukhei managed to smile slightly, his skin pale and forehead covered in sweat, the skin around his mouth and eyes strained and betraying his pain. “And you are?”

“Xiaojun. Are you sure you can stand?”

Yukhei stared at Xiaojun for a couple of seconds, before seemingly deciding it was pointless to devote any more of his time to him, and nodding weakly. Xiaojun turned his head to Kun, the question in his eyes obvious.

“Ten, switch with Sicheng,” Kun instructed, both men obeying as soon as he’d spoken. “Sicheng, do you think you can hold in a fight in your current state?”

“If Mingyu comes back we might have a problem, but I should be fine with the others,” Sicheng replied, rolling his shoulders as he bounced on his tiptoes.

“Ten, if it came to it, could you hold Yukhei by yourself while Xiaojun uses his powers?” When Ten nodded, not an ounce of hesitation in his expression, Kun nodded too. “Well, then, it’s settled. Now, Xiaojun call our ride, and Hendery, get us out of here.”

“No need to call, boss. Yangyang has been watching us the entire time,” Xiaojun smirked, and Kun smiled back.

“Hendery?”

“Over here,” he replied. “None of you touch Hoshi. Follow me,” as he spoke, they all slipped away from the cells after him. 

Only Xiaojun took a moment before following him, staying back to murmur something in Sooyoung’s ear. After that, he took off, Soonyoung following closely.

There wasn’t much trouble, at first. It seemed word of what had happened in Seungcheol’s office hadn’t gotten out, probably due to Yangyang monitoring the cameras and such, and the amount of injured members that hadn’t showed up that day. It was easy enough to avoid people on the rare occasions they ran into them, Hendery holding them back, hidden between the shadows until they were gone.

For a split second, Hendery thought they might be able to make it out without any further fighting, having made it to the area of the warehouse that was used as a storage room, just right before the entrance. They were so close to freedom. 

Then, Yukhei stumbled, falling to his knees.

It happened too fast for Hendery to react, so focused on avoiding enemies he failed to keep an eye on his friends, and so the premonition came a moment before Yukhei lost balance, colour drained from his face, consciousness all but gone once again.

Hendery spun around, arms extended to catch Yukhei before he fell, but he was too late, and the sudden movement caught both Xiaojun and Ten by surprise. They managed to drag Yukhei back, Ten pressing a hand against Yukhei’s mouth to keep any sounds from escaping, but it was too late.

The faint echo of Yukhei’s knees hitting the floor seemed thunderous in the otherwise silent warehouse, and they all heard it rung in it, unable to miss.

“Who’s there?” Minghao’s voice cut through the air to them.

Panicking, Hendery and Xiaojun exchanged a look, but before they could do anything, they heard Minghao’s footsteps approaching.

“Move back,” Hendery hissed, waving his arm behind him, trying to get the others to move. 

They hadn’t gotten too far when Minghao turned around the corner and spotted them all half-crouched behind a tall shelf. The image made Minghao falter, stopping in his tracks as his eyes went to Yukhei, held clumsily between Xiaojun and Ten, then to Sicheng and Kun, before snapping to Hendery.

“What have you done?” Minghao whispered in horror, taking a step back, his eyes never leaving Hendery’s face.

_I’m sorry_ , Hendery’s murmur was crystal clear between them, and Minghao’s eyes widened when he realized. _It wasn’t anything personal_.

_You’re not leaving. None of you are_ , Minghao’s reply rang in all their minds, just before Sicheng and Ten stumbled, pained expressions in their faces as they clutched a side of their heads. Even Yukhei, still knocked out, groaned in his sleep.

Feeling panic bubbling in his throat, Hendery tried to think of a way to fight back, but even then he could feel the pressure Minghao was exerting against his mind, trying to get him to submit. Despite his efforts, he could feel his grasp on his own power slipping, the premonitions becoming difficult to focus on, and he knew Kun and Xiaojun were in no better position.

That was the true danger Minghao as a telepath posed, for he was capable of breaking one’s mind, and once he did, there was no coming back.

As his vision turned black around the edges, his fight against Minghao’s mind useless in the face of the sheer power the other possessed, he threw his hand, the one that still held onto the knife he’d used to break Sicheng free, back, and tried to focus on Minghao’s blurry figure. 

He only needed one shot, one good shot to break Minghao’s unwavering concentration, and buy them some fighting time, but he only had one knife left. Blinking repeatedly, trying to get rid of the darkness that started to plague his vision, he was about to throw the knife when an arm shot in front of him, dragging someone forward.

“Soonyoung!? What did you do to him!?” A part of Hendery registered Minghao speaking, but it was like he was underwater, his words barely understandable.

Xiaojun leaned forward, his hair plastered against his head, teeth clenched so tightly it looked like he was about to grind them into dust. His fingers gripped the fabric of Soonyoung’s shirt with so much force his knuckles had turned white, the bones about to split his skin open.

“There’s an enemy there,” he whispered, the words making it out in a garbled mess. “He wants to kill you. Don’t let him. Attack him and protect us. Go!”

As soon as Xiaojun had said the last word, Soonyoung took off, not even waiting for Xiaojun to release his shirt. There was a faint pattern of strips on his skin, and his teeth had sharpened to the point of becoming fangs, his hands curled into claws.

Soonyoung pounced upon Minghao, who barely had time to react before the former had impacted against him, throwing them both to the ground and making them slide away from their hiding spot.

“Run, now!” Hendery screamed at the top of his lungs, and the rest of them didn’t hesitate to follow his orders.

Ten and Xiaojun broke into a sprint, dragging Yukhei between them, and Sicheng ran after them, keeping a close eye on both of them in case one slipped under Yukhei’s added weight. Kun followed them, hot on their heels, and Hendery closed the retinue, continuously shooting looks over his shoulder to see if anyone followed them.

It was one of those times that he saw that Seungcheol had managed to break free. There was a makeshift bandage round his shoulder, and he looked positively pissed off, his expression darkening when he saw Hendery and the others. Right after him where Jeonghan and Joshua, both of them holding guns that they didn’t hesitate to point at them, even if it was unlikely their bullets would reach them. 

The good news was that Mingyu didn’t seem to be up yet. The bad ones, that more people poured in after them, but Hendery paid them no attention, not when Minghao called his name.

“Hendery!” He screamed as he stood up.

He was covered in blood, his face scratched up, claw marks in his torso visible even from afar. Lying at his feet was Soonyoung, who seemed alive but in pain, and Hendery had no doubt Minghao had managed to snap him from Xiaojun’s illusion. 

It was the gun that he held in his hand and that he pointed in his direction that scared him the most though. Unlike Seungcheol and the rest, Minghao was close enough to hit them and really hurt them.

“Watch out!” Hendery cried out, causing the rest of them to look back.

Sicheng had run ahead, opening the door of the warehouse for the rest of them to escape through it, and Xiaojun and Ten were about to reach it, but it was then that the bullets started to fly around them, Minghao getting closer with every shot. 

It wouldn’t be long until the others joined him.

“Hendery, Kun, hurry!” Sicheng shouted at them, but just as he did, one of the bullets found its target, hitting Kun in his calf.

Letting out a pained cry, Kun fell to his knees.

“Kun!” Ten and Sicheng screamed at the same time. 

Ten looked seconds from abandoning Yukhei and rushing after Kun, but Xiaojun gripped him by the back of his shirt, keeping him in place. It was almost magic Ten didn’t tear Xiaojun to pieces for that, but he gritted his teeth, eyes promising murder, and stood where he was.

“I’m fine, go!” Kun shouted back. There were tears in his eyes, and his whole body shook as he limped towards the door. Blood poured from the wound, and Hendery hung back, hovering just behind him, offering cover. “Don’t wait for me!”

Turning his head to look behind them, Hendery watched in fear as the rest of Seventeen got closer to them. It wouldn’t be long until they caught up to him, Minghao already too close to comfort. 

Breathing in deeply through his nose, he made a decision in a split second.

“Don’t stop!” He told Kun, who looked back, his eyes wide.

“What are you—? Hendery!” Extending his arms towards him, Kun tried to prevent him from moving away, but he was a tad too late, Hendery already away from his grasp.

Rushing to the side, he skidded to a stop next to one of the shelves. It had been on one of his first visits to the warehouse, that he had prevented Seokmin from being crushed under its weight, the unstable structure almost falling on top of him when Chan had crashed into it with too much force. It hadn’t been fixed, Seungcheol considering it could still be used, albeit carefully, and Hendery was about to take advantage of that.

Running towards the far end of the shelf, he rammed into it, once, twice, until the shelf groaned, wobbling forward and backwards. It didn’t take much more than one last, long push for the whole thing to lean forward, and crash against the floor with a _bang_.

As it fell, the multiple and diverse objects it held flew in every direction, dangerous enough for Minghao to take cover, least he wished to get hit on the head by one of them.

It wasn’t much, a stupid trick at best, but it was enough to buy the rest of them a couple of precious seconds, and that was everything they needed.

“Hendery!” Xiaojun called for him, waving at him from outside, barely visible through the dust still setting around him, but the urgency in his voice more than clear. A quick look around was enough to see he was the only one of them left in the warehouse.

Through the opening of the door, Hendery saw a white, ramshackle van, skid to a stop on the opposite side of the street. The back door was opened wide, the window rolled down for the driver to push half his body through it, waving an arm at them.

“Move your asses here now!” He screamed at then, before going back to the safety of the driver’s cabin.

Hendery then ran faster, catching up to the rest of them, bullets ricocheting against the walls, brushing against him. He had barely made it out the door of the warehouse when Ten shut it closed, Sicheng already moving a big and heavy looking trash can to keep their pursuers from catching up with them. 

Around Ten, the bullets dented the metal plank that served as the facade, about to break through it.

“You get Kun, I’ll get Yukhei!” Xiaojun barked order at him, and Hendery rushed to obey. “Yangyang, you fucker, don’t you dare leave without us!”

“Then come here now! If they get out and we’re still here, we’re as good as dead!” Yangyang screamed back, hands nervously hitting the side of the van.

Seemingly unbothered by the screaming contest going on around him, Kun waited for Hendery to make his way up to him. Sicheng ran past them, grabbing Yukhei by his left arm, as Xiaojun did the same with the other, and Ten flanked them, his eyes never leaving Kun for too long.

“Welcome back, Hendery. I had missed you,” Kun’s smile was soft, and honest, as Hendery slipped his left arm around the other man’s middle, shouldering most of his weight, helping keep him straight.

“You’ve seen me for the last month and a half, and almost daily for the past two weeks. That’s more often than for the last two years,” he replied, his smile at Kun strained around the edges, as he basically carried the other over to the other side of the street.

In front of them, Xiaojun and Sicheng were doing the same thing, trying to make sure Yukhei wouldn’t fall over. They seemed to be struggling, even with Sicheng’s super strength, Yukhei all but passed out, but the van Yangyang was driving was close enough to touch, close enough for Hendery to believe they could make it.

“You know as well as I do that wasn’t the real you,” Kun replied. He wasn’t wrong, even if he wasn’t quite right either, but Hendery didn’t need his powers to know Seventeen were about to break through the door, and he didn’t have the energy or the time to spend debating the issue.

“Careful with the head,” he said instead, pushing Kun into the back of the van. 

Yukhei was already inside, slumped between Xiaojun and Sicheng, and seconds after Ten jumped after them. Hendery rushed to close the doors, and Xiaojun screamed at Yangyang to start driving just as Minghao stepped through a man-shaped hole and into the street. His eyes went straight to Hendery, and for a moment, none of them moved.

Then, Minghao raised his right hand, a gleaming gun pointed at him, and Hendery shut the doors closed.

“YANGYANG DRIVE NOW!”

As if on cue, Minghao pulled the trigger, the bullet ripping a clean hole on the van’s door, and they all crouched with a yelp, covering their heads. At the same time, Yangyang hit the gas pedal, the van rushing forward with a screech, the tires leaving black skid marks behind.

“Stay down!” Yangyang shouted at them as he drove away, he himself ducked down as low as he could, as bullets flew around them, the impact echoing in the small cabin, as some came closer than comfort to them.

“Yangyang be careful!” Xiaojun groaned after he was thrown against the side of the van, his arm squished between the side of the van and his body, Ten’s knee digging into his side. Hendery, from where he lay on the ground under Sicheng’s legs, couldn’t help but agree.

“Stop complaining if you want to live!” Yangyang all but growled, and Xiaojun flipped him in response, before the van swerved right and he was thrown to the side once again.

After that, the next few minutes were spent in silence, until Yangyang slowed down the van.

“I think we lost them.”

“Are you sure?” Sicheng asked, slumped against the van’s door.

“I don’t know, that’s why I said ‘I think we lost them’,” Yangyang replied, causing Xiaojun to roll his eyes at the snark.

“Don’t mind him,” he said, clumsily standing up. “I’ll go take a look.”

“You’ll do what? Xiaojun!” Yangyang looked over his shoulder, in time to see Xiaojun approach, carefully moving so at to not step on any of them. “What the fuck are you doing!?”

“Shut up and move over, brother,” Xiaojun replied as he tried to jump onto the seat beside him. “And keep your eyes on the road, I don’t want to end up in the morgue today because you made us crash against a fucking wall.”

Kun listened to them argue with a tired but somewhat fond expression on his face, while Ten moved around to sit beside Yukhei, carefully sliding his legs under Yukhei’s head. Kun followed the movement with his eyes, squirming around to find a more comfortable position. Underneath his stretched leg, a poodle of blood was slowly forming, but he refused Hendery’s help with a shake of his head when Hendery tried to take a look at his wound.

“It’s nothing more than a scratch,” he reassured him. Hendery leaned back, unconvinced, but didn’t fight his decision. “Yukhei’s wings?” Kun asked instead, cocking his head as he stared at Hendery. Yukhei, still unconscious, seemed to stir in his sleep, as if he could hear his words.

Hendery jerked his chin in Xiaojun’s direction.

“When Xiaojun sneaked in Seungcheol’s office he got the address. They were looking for a buyer and had them stored outside the city in the meantime. We have to move fast before they move them someplace else, or destroy them.”

“We’ll take care of it, don’t worry,” Ten replied, his hand slowly carding through Yukhei’s hair.

“We’ll take care of all of them,” Sicheng cut them, baring his teeth. His voice was low, rougher than usual, and Hendery leaned over for Xiaojun’s backpack. Rummaging through it, he procured a bottle of water and tossed it in his direction.

“You can count on it,” Kun’s words were mild, but the look in his eyes held no room for confusion. “They’ll regret what they’ve done to us.”

“Thank you for the heads-up, Hendery,” Ten said then, briefly looking up from Yukhei’s face to flash Hendery a tight-lipped smile. “If it hadn’t been for your vision, who knows what would have happened.”

“Yeah, man, I had just enough time to wipe their minds out before the Seventeen guys barged into the headquarters,” Yangyang chipped in, throwing a look over his shoulder. 

“Don’t do that, you moron,” Xiaojun grumbled, before Yangyang let out a small yelp.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more earlier,” Hendery replied, rubbing his eyes. “They were supposed to move in two days after they did, but they got word you guys were there, and they moved without telling me.”

“So, we have a mole,” Sicheng hummed, and Hendery nodded. “Good to know.”

“We’ll find whoever it is, and I’ll make them regret they ever sold us,” Ten’s eyes were dark, a storm already brewing in them. The hand he still had in Yukhei’s hair tensed, and Yukhei seemed to stir, his sleep perturbed. Returning his attention to the other, Ten petted Yukhei’s head until he relaxed once again.

“We will,” Kun promised. “We will find the mole and make sure we are never played like this again, but we’ll do that tomorrow. Right now, we have more important things to do, like fixing Yukhei’s back, and resting. The rest can wait.”

Nodding, the three of them leaned back, and let Yangyang drive them back home, to an address Kun told him quietly. The low rumbling of the engine was lulling Hendery into a sleep by the time the van finally stopped, and a hand shook him awake.

“We’re here?” He asked Kun with a yawn.

“We’re here,” Kun smiled, and waited for him to hop down from the van.

With a shake of his head, Hendery lifted his arms over his head, stretching his body, before turning to look at Kun.

“Shall we go, then?” Without really waiting for an answer, though, Hendery put one of Kun’s arms over his shoulder, and looped one of his own around Kun’s waist. “It’s good to be back,” he said, taking in the building in front of them.

It wasn’t much, just a plain grey facade, not too different from the ones around it, but Hendery had learnt to think of it as ‘home’. Kun had bought it a long time ago, and for many years, only him, Sicheng, Ten, Yukhei and Hendery had ever set foot in it. 

“It’s good to have you back,” Kun agreed, though Hendery could tell there was something else on his mind. He didn’t have to wait much before Kun said anything about it. “Hendery, are you okay? We all know you’re one of us, but you’ve been with Seventeen for a long time, earning their trust, rising through their ranks, and you’ve spent the past six months without leaving their side. No one would blame you if you were affected by what has happened today.”

Looking ahead, Hendery realized Kun had purposefully held them back, and though a part of him was grateful, another wished Kun hadn’t asked, hadn’t made him think about it.

“I’m afraid my cover’s been blown to pieces so, do you think you know of anyone who could employ someone just like me?” Hendery kept his tone light, almost playful, even as his brain replayed what had happened back at the warehouse.

He’d always known it’d come down to it but… It still hurt, thinking of Minghao’s betrayed expression when he saw him siding with Kun. Minghao hadn’t truly thought he had betrayed them up until that moment, Hendery had realized. He had watched that realization morph into pure, unaltered fury when Minghao understood Hendery hadn’t actually betrayed them, because that would have required him to be with them at some point, and that, to put it simply, was untrue.

It was Kun who held Hendery’s loyalty, had done so since he’d been old enough to know what loyalty meant. Seventeen had never stood a chance, and seeing that dawn in Minghao had hurt more than Hendery had expected.

It wasn’t anything personal, but Hendery was sure Minghao wouldn’t see it like that, and wouldn’t rest until he could have Hendery grovelling at his feet, have his blades dyed in Hendery’s blood.

Feeling the hand on his shoulder squeezing it tightly, Hendery looked up, and found Kun was staring at him with an understanding expression on his face, as if he knew exactly what was going on in Hendery’s mind. Hendery shot him a small grin in reply. It had hurt, yeah, but he’d be lying if he said he wouldn’t do it again.

“I think we could find something for you,” Kun replied, a teasing glint in his eyes as they went up the stairs. “And I believe there’s someone who’s really looking forward to working again with you.”

“You know, you could have told me who he was, instead of having me guess and move in blindly. I could have kept it from Minghao, just like I kept everything else,” Hendery accused, his tone slipping into a whining one, but Kun just laughed.

“And where would have been the fun in that, Hendery? Although I have to say, I thought you would have guessed it the moment you laid eyes on him.”

As Kun spoke, Hendery’s eyes slipped to where Xiaojun was standing, waiting for them, and he felt his lips curving into a smile.

Even if what he’d told Kun was true, and he would have appreciated a heads-up, Hendery wasn’t really angry, or annoyed. It had been exhilarating, finding Xiaojun after all those years, standing in the middle of a shop, posing as someone he wasn’t. They said life was a cycle, destined to repeat itself, and Hendery had known it was true, when he looked up and found himself staring at Dejun’s surprised eyes. He hadn’t even minded his mission, all the lying he’d have to pull off, that much, instead focusing on the rest.

Despite all, despite the danger and how badly it could end if he wasn’t careful, it had been exhilarating, and confusing, and _fun_. Hendery hadn’t had as much fun in years.

Xiaojun raised his head, as if he could feel Hendery’s eyes on him, and stared right at him, holding his gaze. He arched a single eyebrow, an invitation if Hendery had ever seen one, and Kun chuckled before patting him gently on his back, and disentangling himself from Hendery’s arm, shooing him away when Hendery tried to protest.

“Go with your boy,” Kun replied instead, lips curving into a knowing smile. “He’s not the only one who’s eager to meet with someone again.”

With that, Kun limped away. Hendery strolled to where Xiaojun was, not needing to look back to know who’d already stepped up to take his place by Kun’s side, strong hands and piercing eyes ready to unveil every one of Kun’s secrets.

“I really thought you hated me back then, when you walked into my store,” Xiaojun said, leaning with his back against the wall. Hendery mimicked his position, his head tilted to the side as he stared at Xiaojun’s profile.

(His hands itched to touch, but he didn’t. He’d been patient up until then, he could wait a little longer.)

“I did hate you, once,” Hendery admitted, taking in the small grimace that twisted Xiaojun’s face before he got it under control. “But it cooled down over the years.”

“Do you still hate me, however little?” The question was whispered between clenched teeth, and Hendery tilted his head to the side, fringe brushing his eyes. “And don’t lie to me.”

“How could I hate you? Without you, _they_ wouldn’t be here,” Hendery replied, surprised by the request. Still, he could see in Xiaojun’s eyes he wasn’t convinced. “I’m being serious, Dejun. I wouldn’t lie to any of you. You guys are family.”

“You’d never lie?” Xiaojun’s eyes bore onto his, and Hendery knew he was searching for something.

“Unless Kun asked me to do it,” the admission seemed enough to make Xiaojun relax, tension seeping from his shoulders. “You know how that goes.”

“I do. It’s Kun, after all,” _and whatever he asks of us, we’ll do_ , was what Xiaojun left unsaid, but they both knew it. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I left all those years ago,” he added, after a few beats of silence.

“I guess we’re even, then. For all I did when I was there, all I told them about you,” Hendery said, hands buried deep in his pockets. Xiaojun stared at him, mulling over his words. 

A peace offering, if he’d ever seen one, and Hendery knew Xiaojun understood.

It wasn’t just what he did, but what he was. Hendery had spent years building a persona, lies upon lies upon lies, and so, whenever he needed a way out, it was what he did, without a second thought. He’d twist the truth and come up with stories that would get him out of trouble, and he’d do it as easy as breathing.

Xiaojun had always been a liar, that much was true, but never once had Hendery been asked if he himself was one. No one had wondered who had Xiaojun learnt from, no one had bothered to scratch beneath the surface and find what lay there.

“We’re even, then. Thank you, for getting us all from there.”

“You don’t have to thank me for doing my job, Xiaojun. I wouldn’t have left anyone behind, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

“I thought you said you didn’t lie.”

“And I didn’t. It was teamwork, and you know it.”

“You would have been able to get them out without me.”

“There wouldn’t have been anyone to get out without you, and your brother,” Hendery shook his head. “I bought them enough time to do something before the raid, but if it hadn’t been for you two, we would have all been brought down the minute Minghao stepped in any of their cells. Don’t underestimate you.”

The words hung between them, Xiaojun obviously going over them.

“Okey, then. If you say so,” he tentatively agreed.

“I do, so don’t worry about it,” Hendery replied as he pushed himself off the wall, deciding to check up on Yukhei.

“So, if we’re even and you don’t hate me, does this mean I can ask you out?” Xiaojun’s words caught Hendery by surprise, and he whipped his head to look at Xiaojun, so fast he almost got dizzy.

His eyes clearly betrayed his nervousness, because, as much as they wanted it to be someway different, there was still a lot of history between them, but there was a glimmer of hope and a hint of amusement in the way he smiled, and Hendery couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh, feeling lighter than before.

“Of course you can,” he replied, his own smile mimicking Xiaojun’s when the latter grinned, delighted.

He knew it wouldn’t be easy. Seventeen wouldn’t forget, _Minghao_ wouldn’t forget, and once they licked their wounds and regrouped, they’d have to face their wrath. WayV was still weakened, most of their core members compromised and hurt, their hidden cards on display for all to see, but right then, standing beside Xiaojun, surrounded by the men he’d come to consider his family, Hendery knew it’d be alright.

He was home, and no one would take that from him.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it, I hope you enjoyed it! Once again, thanks to Shreya and Hil, and go check out the other works in this fest, because I'm sure they're amazing ^^  
> [tw](https://twitter.com/starryjinsouls) || [cc](https://curiouscat.me/Val_99)
> 
> \- Val


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